Friday, 30 March 2012

Card Crafter's Circle/Challenge #16 EASTER

Hi, and welcome!

Been a really busy week, but have enjoyed every single minute.....my baby is home!
Jonathan (my baby), Tanys (his wife), and Bevan (their baby) are back from Northern Ireland, and we've had to make room for them until they can find a nice house....hopefully within the next month.
I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have them here!
Bevan left a few days after his first birthday, at the end of last October.... a blue-eyed, blonde-haired, chubby baby.....and has come back a green-eyed, blonde-haired, slightly-less-chubby toddler!  Where did he get green eyes?........from ME.....haaa!
More about all-things-Bevan another day.

On to this week's challenge at


This week we are sponsored by one of our favourite sponsors........


Our team really does have a soft spot for these cute images, and our Random Winner will get to choose 3 of 'em...woohoo!

Okay, so what do you need to do?
Easy.......just make a new creation with an EASTER theme.....doesn't need to be a card, so let your imagination loose, and see what you can come up with!

Here's mine.......

Now, I just need to make something clear, here......that egg is solid chocolate, and it is all mine....haaaa!
I started with a pale pink card base, and added a strip of green DP from a stack that I found at T.K.Maxx (I think it's known as TJ Maxx in the US) which I fringed to resemble grass......not sure how effective that was, though........

I want a pinny like this!  How cute are those bunnies?  And she even has 'em on her shoes.....aawwwww.....
All coloured up with my usual Promarkers, and I added a strip of sweet lace near the top of the egg........

 
The little tag is from the same paper stack, and I added a clipping of pretty lace to the top, held in place with a tiny lilac brad........

I hand cut the egg shape....oh yes, indeed I did......from sparkly card that was also in the same paper stack, inked the edges, and added the cute arrow shape, also inked........

I've had a box of these ribbon slides for ages, but haven't really used 'em, much.......threaded up with pink organza ribbon....pretty, pretty......

I don't usually make, or send, Easter cards.......doesn't seem to be what passes for normal around these parts......but, I think I may make a few more, and send them out to a few choice folks.....maybe!

Hope you join in with our challenge this week, and don't forget to take a look at the rest of the team's creations!

Hugs,
Anne-Marie x

Challenges:





Monday, 26 March 2012

Sweet and Wonderful You

Hello, and welcome!

Didn't think  I'd have time to hop on the old 'puter, tonight.......been poorly sick over the weekend, and now two days behind with all the chores I wanted to get done before Jonathan and Co.  arrive, very early on Wednesday morning.......doesn't look like I'm goin' to catch up, when you do the maths, does it?

I think I'm just going to enjoy them being home, and will be helping to look for a new house for them, so you can have a little rest from my goings-on for a few days.....but behave yourselves, because you never know when I'll pop up in your reader....haaaa!

This is a ickle card I made on Friday night, just before the buggy lurgy struck me down.......but don't worry....I've disinfected it....haaahaaa!

I layered pink, white and tan papers onto the card base, then added another strip of toning stripey, layered onto more white paper.........

The sweet image is from Pink Gem.....I love Janet's stamps!  This, and the sentiment, were freebies........

I tied some pretty pink and green dotty ribbon, added the daisy button and pink beady-thingy (got it on a little roll), then popped them onto a little journal spot....all done!

That's me then, off to beat a few rugs, and mangle me washing...........

Hugs,
Anne-Marie x

Friday, 23 March 2012

Card Crafter's Circle/Challenge #15 TIC TAC TOE

Hello, and welcome!

It's challenge time again, over at 
and this week is going to be a lot of fun because we get to play a game of 

TIC TAC TOE

which means you just have to choose a line of 3 from the choices that are given.
You can find all the details at the challenge blog .......easy-peasy!

Pauline (our boss lady) always does a grand job of linking us up with fabulous sponsors, and this week we are back with the delightful

 
As always, our randomly chosen winner is in for a treat, and this week it's 2 sheets of the wonderful digis that can be found over at 
which is the equivalent of 8 images....yaaaay!

Our Design Team have come up with some fabulous inspiration, so check them out by clicking on their names, in my sidebar!
Here's my effort..........

How cute are these two, on their lemonade stall?
I went for the bottom line, on the tic tac toe grid.....embossing, colour blue and diecuts.
I used a mask to emboss the blue background paper, which was then layered onto white card, and then pink dotty card.......

The cutie twosome were coloured up with Promarkers and cut out with a deckle-edge Nestie label, and popped onto a scrap of blue flowery paper.....added a teeny stitched scrap of blue paper which I'd cut into a tab shape, and stitched on a button....love dem buttons!

I cut the picket fence, then embossed it.......then this flippin' bird landed on it....haaaa!

Ooooh, just noticed that I also did a bit of me stitchin', around the edges of the blue paper.......soooo relaxing to do!  I chose a fun font from the 'puter, printed it up, then cut into a little sentiment shape...inked and treated to a couple of pearls......ar ben ......that means finished in Welsh...haaa!

So, get cracking on playing a little Tic Tac Toe, and I can pop over and tell you why I don't like it how lovely your creation is......you have to be in it to win it!

Hugs,
Anne-Marie x

Challenges:
mymumscraftshopchallenges.blogspot.com  Let's get digital (2nd entry)
milkcoffeechallenge.blogspot.com  Anything goes (2nd entry)



Thursday, 22 March 2012

Rainbow Kraft card

Hello, and welcome!

I've had some brilliant news today.....TWO lots, in fact!
First of all, we were expecting our youngest, Jonathan, and his wife and baby, to come over from Northern  Ireland, next week for a visit.
Some of you will remember that they relocated, last October, so Jonathan could take up a new job.  They were supposed to be staying for at least a year, and then Jonathan was to come back to England, and set up a branch here.
Apparently....and I'm really excited to say......Jonathan has exceeded his targets to the extent that he can come back in April, and set up the new branch....wooohoooo!!

We have been Skypeing, backwards and forwards, all day....there is so much to do....they need to find a house, and business premises, for a start, although he will be using our stable block as an office and storage, for the time being.
Can't wait to actually have them home!!

Okay....and breathe.......

Next piece of great news.....our eldest  grandchild, Hannah, has applied to 5 universities to study Music Technology, and has spent the past few months attending interviews.  Over the past few days, she's been getting phone calls and letters, confirming her places in ALL FIVE universities.....AND.....the final one, today, told her that she was their #1 choice out of the 202 that applied for the courses.......AND.....they are considering offering her a scholarship......AND....they want to put her in the running for a 2 week internship IN NEW YORK with Will.I.am, the singer with the Black Eyed Peas......how good is that??!!!
Of course, Hannah is gobsmacked, and sooooooo excited!  She has exactly two weeks to make up her mind about which offer she's going to accept.  Oh, my........

Back to business.....here's a little card.........

I used a dotty mask to emboss the kraft card base in my Bigshot........

The tag is a freebie download, and I used my Cropadile to punch a hole and set a large eyelet in the end.......I coloured up (with PMs) the freebie sentiment, and punched a Nestie label to set it on.......very fast, very simple......and I think I like it!

I've got more exciting news to share with you, but you'll have to wait for that....just sayin'...haaaa!

Hugs,
Anne-Marie x

Challenges:
lilredwagon.blogspot.com  Clean and simple


Monday, 19 March 2012

Dainty Doily card

Hello, and welcome!

You all made me laugh at the comments you left, after Olivia's sewing party........and I have to agree, she is beautiful.....but then, I would say that, wouldn't I....?

Very quick post, tonight.....I've got half a ton of ironing to do....did plan to finish it this morning, but started to  sort through my fabric stash, and......well........you know how that goes....haaaa!

I made this little card, yesterday........it was going to be a lot smaller (inspired by the gorgeous creation that Jayne, over at http://eskimofrosting.blogspot.co.uk/ recently made), but these old eyes needed to work with something a little larger, heehee.......
As it is, it ended up at 4 inches x 4 inches...........and I'm on a mission AGAIN to use up a whole heap of my scraps........

Another very simple card............

The ticket is a freebie which I chalked lightly with pink, and added the pale green gem......

Folded the small doily around the spine of the card, added a pink journal spot, and popped a sweet embellishment in the centre......

The edge is cut with a Martha Stewart lacy border punch, and a strip of the blue paper is attached on the back inside edge of the card......hand-sewed a length of pale blue gossamer ribbon down the join of the two different papers.......done!

Told you it was quick....haaa!

Hugs,
Anne-Marie x
Challenges:
http://liastampz.blogspot.co.uk/  Anything goes + Sentiment

Saturday, 17 March 2012

Pink Gem Cutie

Hello, and welcome!

Do you remember that I posted about my granddaughter, Olivia, turning 7 this week?  I'd mentioned that my camera had "swallowed" the photos I'd taken of the card I'd made her......and it was such a work of art......really.....haa!
Anyways, her birthday was Tuesday, and as we usually do, the family gathered together for birthday cake and giving of gifts and cards to the Birthday Girl....all good an' well.
This afternoon, Olivia had a sewing party, and had invited 12 of her girlfriends to come to her house and make a pretty monogrammed cushion, and a lovely headband,  complete with felt flowers and buttons......lovely.
Mummy had used Grandma's Big Shot to cut half a ton of felt flowers, and had stolen asked for a pile of Grandma's pretty pastel buttons, to sew onto the layered flowers.......still with me?
Grandma, in the meantime, thought she had an afternoon to herself, and had planned to use it to prepare the lesson she has to teach, at Church, tomorrow........cue phone call from Olivia's Mummy, Leigh-Anne (aka Daughter #3).....sayin' that Olivia really wants her Grandma to come to the party.......Grandma dutifully drives through a hailstorm so as not to disappoint her much-loved Granddaughter # 4....is met at the door by said blonde, blue-eyed teeny beauty......and is led to a sewing machine, and a l-o-n-g line of giggling, excited teeny girlies, each clutching the makings of a flowery, monogrammed cushion!
Another, poor, unsuspecting "guest", (aka mother of a teeny guest) was already ensconced at a table, starting on putting together headbands........
Really!......talk about slave labour.......I had each teeny sit on my lap while I showed her how to sew a straight line, on a piece of scrap fabric, then they moved on to Daughter #3, who helped them to sew the seams,  and place the monogramme, before they stuffed their cushions....then back to me to slip-stitch the closings.
At some point, I was thrown a piece of KFC boneless chicken, but have you ever tried to eat chicken whilst hand-sewing?
All this, accompanied by the warbling singing of Justin Beiber, beltin' out at 3 million decibells.........where's the aspirin?
Wish I had photos to show you, but I was a little busy.......

Here's a photo of Olivia, taken a few months ago.......


This a very quick card that I made, last night, using a freebie from Pink Gem........

I used a green spotty card base, and layered on a journal card (love those bright eggs!), rounded all corners, and inked with fluid chalk.......a piece of bright Easter paper behind........

Isn't she a sweet girlie?  Love the ickle butterfly........

Used letter stickers for the "happy", and a small tag for "Easter", and cute flower brads......can't remember how many years I've had those, and still got tons...what on earth did I think I needed so many for?...haaa!

Half a paper doily, behind the journal card, and a pretty diecut butterfly to remind us it's Spring!

Very quick and simple....that's all I seem to have time for, these days....sigh......

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Hugs,
Anne-Marie x
Challenges:
http://craftuscrazy.blogspot.co.uk/  Easter or Something Sweet (I chose Easter)
http://thepoodlesparlour.blogspot.co.uk/  Anything goes (2nd entry)

Friday, 16 March 2012

Card Crafter's Circle/Challenge #14 POT OF GOLD

Hi, and welcome!

Woohoo....it's FRIDAY!
Just a gentle reminder, in case you hadn't noticed what day it is....I do that all the time, heehee.
Time for a challenge at 


and today we have a brand new sponsor 
 

Our randomly drawn winner gets to choose 3 digis...and there are tons to choose from......
but that's not all....oh no......this very generous sponsor will also give each of our TOP THREE a digi of their choice......how good does it get?!

So how do you get your pretty little mitts on some of these goodies?
Easy-peasy........
You need to make something....and remember that it doesn't have to be a card....we are a mixed media kind of challenge blog......just something that has GOLD on it........

Here's mine.....

Needed to do a bit of de-stressing, so did some distressing .....haaaaa!
I printed the image twice, once onto normal card, and then onto some gold foiled card....wasn't sure if the gold would print out properly, but it was fine....pheeew!  A bit of paper piecing, and she was all decked out in her finery :D........

I think I've got some boots like that.....heeheeeee....and how about the handbag.....posh, or what?  And every girl needs a gold umbrella.......well, it would be rude not to, wouldn't it?  The rest of her is coloured up with my trusty Promarkers...of course, lol........

The pretty ribbon....love that colour!....is from East of India (the company, not the location..ha!), and this is it's first outing........

I tore strips of gold and red paper, pricked holes around the edges, and topped with a tiny journal card, and a ticket..... the teeny tiny kraft tag was actually part of the ribbon packaging....couldn't chuck that in the rubbish!.....and added a teeny gold flower thingy with a red brad pushed through.......
Finished!
I just know that you'll love all the sweet digis over at MILK COFFEE and that they are going to be a firm favourite with this little (HA!) crafter!
Our design team are a very talented lot, and you are missing out if you don't check out their takes on this fabby challenge.....go to their links in my left side-bar!

Hugs,
Anne-Marie x

Challenges: