Sketch Saturday #44 meets Secret Crafter #25: Tilda with Bumblebee

INGREDIENTS
Basic Grey Urban Prairie 6x6 paper : Core'dinations BC : EK Success Retro Flower Punch : Woodware Daisy punch : MS Scallop Doily Lace border punch : Magnolia Tilda stamp from the Spring 2009 ClubKit : Whisper Pens : Ribbon from Crafty Ribbons : Nestabilities : Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust pen

Phew, I've finally finished the card I started yesterday morning! (Don't worry, it hasn't taken me 2 days - I've just had lots on this weekend, so I've been crafting when I've had a spare 5 minutes here and there!). It took a bit longer than usual because I had to mix up the yellow colour and the blue/green colour (Tilda's jeans). I use Whisper Pens to colour (don't have anything else), and there are only 2 yellows which are very 'yellow' (if you know what I mean). To mix colours I scribble both colours onto an acrylic block, then mix them together using the blender pen and then apply. I'm pleased with the yellow I finally managed to blend, but I think the blue/green needed more green...oh well! And yes, I labouriously cut out each of the 5 'additional' bees that are 'buzzing' around the card (I don't think I'll be doing that again in a hurry! LOL!), and glittered up their wings with my Sakura Gelly Roll pen.

I've followed this week's superb sketch over at Sketch Saturday. Sketch #44 is being sponsored by The Craft Barn, who are offering 2 WOJ stamps as this week's prize! Woo hoo! I'm also going to enter this card into this week's Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #25, which is stitching (real or faux). I have yet to find a decent, but inexpensive, small sewing machine perfect for crafting, but I'm sure I will soon.....!

Hope you all had an ace weekend. The sun has been shining all day, so that has gone some way towards making up for the loss of an hour in bed this morning! LOL!

TTFN, Sem x

Secret Crafter meets ABC meets Sketch & Stash: Enchanted Lily

INGREDIENTS

Basic Grey Sultry 6x6 pad : Core'dinations BC : Woodware Regular Corner Rounder punch : Martha Stewart Scallop Dot border punch : Ribbon : Prima flowers : Papermania brad (Large - Yellow and Orange) : Pink Cat Studio Enchanted Lily stamp : Whisper Pens : Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust pen : Computer-generated sentiment

Yay! I managed to combine 3 challenges today and finish making a birthday card for one of my daughter's school friends (whose party she is going to this Saturday).

First, I followed this fortnight's sketch #6 from Sketch and Stash Challenge blog, and rotated it 180 degrees. The ongoing challenge at SAS is to use your newest stash on your card. These Enchanted Lily stamps are the newest addition to my ever increasing stash of 'rubba', plus this is the first time I've used my new BG Sultry papers (which I got for my birthday a few weeks ago!).

Second, this week's ABC Challenge is 'G is for Glitter'. I've used glittery organza ribbon and glittered-up Lily's wings using a Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust pen, even though the photo doesn't show this! (It's so dark and wet here...back to winter weather!)

Third, Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #24 is 'Favourite Colour'. My favourite colour is PINK of course, and my all-time favourite card colour-combo is pink and green.

So sorry that I'm not my usual perky and eloquent(!) self. I'm not very well at the moment (on antibiotics again!) with a problem that has been ongoing for over a month - something that the docs haven't got to the bottom of yet! If the antibiotics don't make a difference this time, then it's off for some tests next week! Joy! I'm not sleeping very well too, and so I feel really knackered, and therefore I'm struggling somewhat to even make sense! LOL! So please bear with me!

Hope you are all having a scrumptious day, whatever you're up to.

TTFN, Sem x

Friday Sketchers #44: Mothering Sunday

INGREDIENTS
K & Co Amy Butler 12x12 Sola two-sided paper : Core'dinations BC : Versamagic Dew Drop 'Tea Leaves' : EK Success Retro Flower Punch : Woodware Butterfly and Grass punches : Martha Stewart Scallop Dot border punch : Sizzix Sizzlits Photo Corners 2 die : Whiff of Joy 'Willow with Flowers' stamp : Whisper Pens : Ranger Inkessentials White Opaque Pen : Ranger Liquid Pearls White Opal : Nestabilities S4116 & S4117 : Heart Pearls : Handwritten sentiment : rest from stash

Well good morning peeps! Hope you are all well on this lovely Saturday morn!

As most of you will know, tomorrow is Mother's Day (or 'Mothering Sunday' if you prefer) here in the UK. I was super organised and made my personal mother's day cards a few weeks ago. However...I was asked by a friend to make a "Mothering Sunday" card yesterday!! I decided to follow this week's brilliant sketch over at Friday Sketchers (thanks Beatrix!). I also wanted to use my brand new Amy Butler Sola paper that I received for my birthday. I absolutely LOVE her K & Co 12x12 range, and now that I know that Gill at The Hobby House stocks the best range of 12x12 K & Co pads (well, in my opinion anyway! LOL!), I will be adding to my ever increasing paper collection! I keep promising myself that I will use what I have before buying anything else, but then I find another set of paper that I simply must have, or see another stamp that is too beautiful not to own!

I'm also going to enter this card into this week's Whiff of Joy Challenge #22 which is 'green', plus this week's ABC Challenge which is 'F is for Flowers'. WOW! Three challenges in one - I love it when a plan comes together! LOL!

Hope to be back with another card later today or tomorrow!

Ta ta for now, my lovely blogging buddies!

Hugs, Sem x

Truly Scrumptious Challenge #3: Enchanted Lily

INGREDIENTS

K & Co 6x6 Sparkly Sweet paper : Core'dinations BC : Magenta Purple Gingham Paper : EK Success Retro Flower Punch : Woodware Daisy & Butterfly punches : MS Scallop Dot border punch : Pink Cat Studio Enchanted Lily stamp : Whisper Pens : Ranger Inkessentials White Opaque Pen : Ranger Liquid Pearls White Opal : Ribbon from Crafty Ribbons : Nestabilities S4116 & S4117 : Cuttlebug Punch & Emboss With Gratitude : rest from stash

My daughter received an invitation yesterday from an old and very good friend that she hasn't seen in weeks, inviting her to tea after school today. She was so excited and pleased, and immediately asked me to make her friend a card that she could take with her to say "thank you for being such a lovely friend"! Aww! Well, I have been rather ill last night and today, and so didn't really feel 'in the mood'. However, I wasn't going to let that beat me, and found a beautiful sketch to work from over at this week's Truly Scrumptious Challenge blog. My daughter chose one of the new Pink Cat Studio's Enchanted Lily stamps to use, plus the backing paper. Unfortunately, she couldn't help make the card as her invitation arrived late last night and she had school today. Anyway (I seem to be waffling on....sorry!), this is the result! Sorry the lighting is a bit pants, but you get the idea!

It's Friday tomorrow.....yippee!!!!!

TTFN my lovelies!

Hugs, Sem x

Penny Black Saturday Challenge Week 40: Daisy Swing

INGREDIENTS
Basic Grey Porcelain 6x6 pad : Core'dinations BC : Papermania large brads (Yellows & Oranges and Green : EK Success Retro Flower Punch : MS Doily Lace border punch : Penny Black Daisy Swing stamp (1727k) : Whisper Pens : Ribbon from Crafty Ribbons : Nestabilities S4116 & S4117 : Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF : rest from stash

I've had this gorgeous Penny Black image called Daisy Swing (1727k) all coloured and ready to use for about 2 months now! So last night I decided to use it for this week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge Week 40 sketch. Sorry the lighting is a bit weird! It's incredibly sunny at the moment, and I think maybe a bit too sunny to take indoor photos by the window! I'll update later. Anyway, I decided that I was going to stick rigidly to the sketch for this card and add no extras...none, nada, nothing! I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

I've figured out a way to use brads without actually having to make a hole and poke them through. Yay! I snipped off the flat, long, prongy things with some scissors, pressed what's left into the underside of the round bit, popped a small foam square inside, and then stuck it to the paper using a bit of glue for extra strength! I would love some manufacturer to do this for me, and be able to buy them ready made! The only alternatives I know of are the Robin's Nest Dew Drops (which are not always suitable because they are transparent), and the Craftworks Cards 'Card Candy' (which are made of paper). Anyone know of anything else?.....

Won't be back until tomorrow now, as we're having some of our new furniture delivered this afternoon, and so I'm now going to have to spend the next hour moving stuff around!

Have a great Tuesday, peeps! TTFN!

Hugs, Sem x

Inky Impressions: 1st DT Call

Now, fellow bloggers, you make be thinking ... "I'm sure I've seen these cards before on SemSee's blog?". Well...you'd be right! I am sooooooo excited to be entering them in Inky Impressions first ever Design Team Call! Inky Impressions is a brand new rubber stamp company founded by Nicole, and they are looking "ALL OVER THE WORLD" for talented card makers, scrapbookers, rubber stamping artists & paper crafters of all kinds to join the Inky Impressions family. I would LOVE to be on their DT team, especially as it's just starting out. To be part of bringing Nicole's awesome art to life and to contribute to the development and growth of Inky Impressions Rubber Stamps would be an absolute privilege.

So...without further ado, here are my 2 cards for my entry:

The images on both cards are coloured using my trusty Whisper Pens (and blender pen). It was so hard to pick my favourites, as all my creations are my 'babies' (...I know, I'm a bit pathetic!!). I chose the Whiff of Joy card because I just love the colour lime green, and these K & Co papers were such an inspiration when I made that card. Second is my most recent card, made for my dear parents' 40th wedding anniversary. This card took absolutely ages to make, but I think that's because it's for my parents! It was the first time I used paper roses (bought 3 bunches from hobbycraft a couple of weeks ago), and I really love how the flowers have turned out!

For anyone else who is interested in entering, pop over to the Inky Impressions Challenge Blog where you can find all the details of what to do. But you'd better be quick, as the 1st stage of linking our best 2 creations needs to be done by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on 22nd March ... so what are you waiting for ?!! LOL!

A big shout of thanks to Nicole for giving me the opportunity to try out for her DT. Nicole, please feel free to 'scroll around' my blog to have a wee looksie at my other creations.

I can't tell you how much I want this peeps, so please cross all your fingers and toes for me....

Be back later today or tomorrow with a new card.

TTFN, lovelies
Hugs, Sem x

PS Here are some 'other' hand-stamped and hand-coloured images... just for you, Nicole!

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #51: Ruby Anniversary Card

INGREDIENTS

Basic Grey Wassail 6x6 pad : Core'dinations BC : Woodware grass punches 821-68 and 815-66 : MS scallop dot border punch : Versamagic dew drop 'Wheat' : Magnolia Kissing Edwin and Shy Tilda stamps : Prima & hand-punched flowers : Whisper Pens : Ribbons from Crafty Ribbons : Nestabilities S4116 & S4117 : Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy EF : rest from stash

It's my parents 40th Wedding Annivesary at the beginning of April....WOO HOO! Hmmm, that's ruby, right? So that means red! Thank goodness for the Basic Grey Wassail 6x6 pad I was given for my birthday, as that's the ONLY red paper I have! Also, the only image/s I have that are suitable are the Kissing Edwin and Shy Tilda from the Love 2009 Collection - that's the 2nd time they've been used this month (see below post!). [Note to self - must get a 'celebration' stamp.] So I was kinda limited with the stuff I could use with this card! The one thing I really don't like is the diamante '40' - I think a rub-on would have been a better fit, but I don't have any!

Anyhoo, Cute Card Thursday are celebrating their birthday this week - a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to everyone over at CCT! Katharina's created a superb and interesting sketch for this week's Challenge #51, which is entitled 'celebration'. There are some amazing prizes to be won, so you just have to enter! So...I used Marlene's sketch, combining it with the ruby anniversary celebrations, and ended up with this card!

Have been feeling a bit off-colour today, so I ended up curled up on the sofa this afternoon with hubby and daughter and we all watched Corbin Bleu in 'Jump In' - I can't remember skipping being that amazing when I was young....

Hope to be back with another card tomorrow or Tuesday.

TFL peeps...have a good 'un!
x Sem x

A Spoon Full of Sugar #42: Anniversary Card

INGREDIENTS

BasicGrey BitterSweet 6x6 PP : Core'dinations BC : Prima flowers : Woodware grass punches 821-68 and 815-66 : Woodware butterfly punch 821-28 : MS scallop dot border punch : Versamagic dew drop 'Wheat' : Magnolia Kissing Edwin and Shy Tilda stamps : rest from stash

It's our wedding annivesary at the end of this month, so I wanted to 'crack open' my favourite papers in the world, Basic Grey BitterSweet, plus ink up 2 new stamps from the whole stack of new Magnolia ones I received for my birthday, and make a card for my darling hubby.

I followed this week's sketch by Michelle over at A Spoon Full of Sugar, which was quite a challenge as my 'image plate' turned out a little bigger than it probably should be! I also used one of my new Martha Stewart Edge Punches and my new Woodware grass and butterfly punches (again, part of my Birthday stash ... yes I was a VERY lucky girl!).

I'm also going to enter this card into this week's Stamp Something Challenge, which is entitled 'Favourites'. I have to say that everything on this card is my favourite - prima flowers, BitterSweet BG paper, MS punch, magnolia stamps.... just everything!! And of course, it has been made for my favourite person (after my daughter, of course), my husband! (all together now....ahhhhh!).

TFL, peeps! Have a good evening!

Hugs, Sem x

Crafty Ribbons

Morning, peeps!

Just wanted to share info on a new crafty supplier I've just had the pleasure of using: Crafty Ribbons. Being stuck in a city that just doesn't cater for the 'serious' crafter, I buy most of my stash from various online shops, but I hadn't been able to find somewhere that stocked a massive range of ribbon by the metre.... until now!!

Crafty Ribbons are based in Dorset and stock a huge range of...ribbons!!! I placed an order late last Friday (6th March) and it arrived this morning! I ordered a whole array of different 6mm Grosgrain ribbons (excellent colour range), a 3mm satin pack for a fiver (which has 30 mtrs of 30 different colours), but best of all was the Ribbon Box. The Ribbon Box is exclusive to Crafty Ribbons and is a steal at £4.00. Click here to read all about it (there's too much info to tell you!), but basically you get 22 mtrs of ribbon plus a ribbon box, and you can choose from 10 different colourways. You can buy 3 of these ribbon boxes for a tenner, and as they arrive flat-packed, I think they are a fab idea for crafty presents! Here's a photo of my new ribbon stash (my ribbon box is the 'strawberry cream' one):

I am now the proud owner of 84 mtrs of new ribbon! LOL!

Will be back with a card later today.

Hugs, Sem

Sketch Saturday #41 & Secret Crafter Challenge #22: Dies to Die For guest DT call

Tracy Kendall, owner of the fabulous online crafty store Dies to Die For, has a call out for a Guest Designer. Hop on over to the Dies to Die For Blog where you can find all the details for making an entry. But you'd better be quick, as you have until 1.00pm (GMT) tomorrow (8th March 2009) to post your comment/entry.

So, as you can guess by now, I've decided to enter! I know I've only been making cards for 3 months, but I would love to be on a design team in any capacity! I've spent most of the afternoon making this Mother's Day card for Tracy's GDT call. It's taken me ages, but as it's for my very special and wonderful mum, plus the GDT call entry, I've taken my time to get it "just right". And, for once, I'm really pleased with the result!


I've used this week's sketch over at Sketch Saturday (Sketch #41) and also thought I'd try (for the very first time) the technique of 'Masking', which is this week's challenge (Challenge #22) over at Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge. Masking was definitely a challenge for me, as I took ages to figure out where to stamp the tree stump (not too high, not too low, etc...) but I managed (or maybe fluked!) it in on my first attempt - WOO HOO!

Both images are from the Whiff of Joy Spring 2009 Stamp Kit - 'Willow sitting with a floral wreath' and 'Tree Stump' - and coloured with my Whisper Pens. The rest of the 'ingredients' are: Laura Ashley patterned paper, Basic Grey buttons and brads, Prima and Hero Arts flowers, ribbons and pearls from my stash, Versamagic Dew Drop (Wheat), and a computer-generated sentiment. Oooh, and I managed to tie the bow myself - woo hoo! My darling hubby showed me the way he ties bows which leaves it looking all professional - I love him so much!!!

Cross all your fingers and toes for me.....

Hugs, Sem x

My 'Gorjuss' Daughter

As some of you may know, we moved house a few weeks ago. Our first priority was to decorate and accessorise our wonderful 7 and a half yr old daughter's bedroom. The only thing left to buy is some art for the walls. I was browsing the Gorjuss Art website a few days ago, when dd came to have a peek. She loved the art so much that I let her choose 3 prints for her wall. Today I finally ordered them...

I was toying with the idea of getting them on canvas, but they are quite expensive!! So I've ordered the 10x8" prints, which we will mount and frame when they arrive.

Hopefully I'll be back with a card later today!

Hugs, Sem x

Whiff of Joy Challenge #20

Gosh, I really struggled with this one! I made it this morning for this week's Whiff of Joy Challenge #20 which is Lavender and Lace.

I really wanted to take part in this challenge, but had a massive problem in that I don't have any purple/lilac paper! Ahhh! After a root around I found one lonely strip of purple/white patterned paper and a pack of purple vellums - that was it! [I also have now realised that I don't have any lace on this card - so sorry, I hope the ribbon will count, as I don't have any lace in my stash either! - time to update my wishlist!]. I ran the vellum through the Cuttlebug using the Stylized Flowers embossing folder, found one lonesome purple button (that I know was given to me by a DoCraft buddy as part of a bag of stuff she gave me when I first started card making), and embellished the card heavily with Prima, Hero Arts and hand-punched flowers and pearls. There is also a little heart charm hanging from the ribbon that says "made with love". Finally the image is one of the new darling ones from the Spring Stamp Kit called Willow with Flower Basket. You can now buy all the stamps from the Spring Kit separately from Whiff of Joy.

I'm also going to enter this one for this week's challenge over at ABC Challenge Blog, which is D for Distressing. Apart from me actually being distressed coz I didn't have any lavender and lace(!), the parts of my card that are distressed are the edges of the papers and the embossed vellum (ran it through the Cuttlebug twice to get that effect).

I've decided that I simply must invest in a decent paper trimmer, as the blade on the one I have is obviously now blunt. So as it doesn't cut well, I have to distress all the edges of the paper I cut with it as it won't cut a crisp edge. Pooh! I'm going to drop a few hints tonight to my darling hubby....

TFL peeps, Hugs Sem x

Sketch Saturday #40: Easter Card

INGREDIENTS

Basic Grey Sugared 6x6 pad : Sugar Nellie image 'Chick-a-dee' : Whisper Pens : Versamagic Dew Drop in Wheat : Handwritten sentiment : x-cut small flower punch xcu953 : QuicKutz REV-0024 die

It's dark, cold and pouring with rain here... really miserable. So, this afternoon I decided to have a go at this week's Sketch Saturday sketch #40. I actually found this really hard work, but I'm glad I had a go!

I'd be really glad to hear your comments on this one, as I'm not sure I like it that much. I know lots of people say this, but I'd be really grateful for your constructive criticism and if you think I should add anything else, please make a suggestion.

Back tomorrow (hopefully) with another creation!

Hugs, Sem x

Sketch & Stash Challenge #5 & Secret Crafter Challenge #21: Stamping Bella Huggabugg

I've wanted some Stamping Bella stamps for a while now since seeing Sparkle's amazing creations with them on her blog. The particular ones that caught my eye were the HuggaBugs - they're so cute! I ordered a couple from The Craft Barn (telephone orders only, as Stamping Bellas are not allowed to be sold online here), and they arrived today! Yippee!

I couldn't wait to ink up 'LoveBeetle' and decided to follow the latest sketch #5 over at Sketch and Stash Challenge blog. I'm rubbish at tying bows, so I thought I'd substitute a flower instead (hope that's okay?!). Almost all the stash I used on this card is new! The gorgeous printed paper is from the Pebbles Inc Sweetheart 12x12 range and is called True Love/Swirl (it's double-sided) - you can buy it from The Glitter Pot here. The pink and brown card used for matting is Core'dinations ColorCore - I used my daughter's glitter glue to glitter up the pink background. The tiny pink flowers are Prima Sweet n Sassy Princess - I couldn't find them anywhere online in the UK, and so I ended up ordering them from the US from here. The pink/brown spotty flower and brown beaded centre are Flora Doodles (Daisy Box Blend Small - Cupcake Pink and Red 1241-161) bought from Joanna Sheen's. Finally the pink ribbon is from my stash and the pink heart pearls were bought from Ebay a while ago.

I'm also entering this card for Challenge #21 over at the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge. This week's challenge is 'transport', so the little LoveBeetle fits in perfectly!

Hope you have a great evening, one and all! I will be back tomorrow with another card.

Hugs, Sem x

PS The card was photographed on a dark background - the white border is the 'end' of the card! (Just incase you thought it looked a bit wonky!)