Happy Halloween, everyone!

Well, what a week!  I always find it hard to get time to play when the children are off school - my eldest spends his time in and out of the house with friends and the door and phone never stop for him (oh to be popular!).  My youngest loves to have company, so either wants to have friends over all the time, or wants entertaining - inevitably, I end up cooking, cleaning and taxiing them around!  Last Wednesday, myself and youngest had a lovely day at Green Halloween in a nearby town - we had a nature walk, collecting leaves ad things, willow web weaving, tissue paper lanterns, wooden jewellry, bat box making, apple bobbing, cookie decorating and got to see a barn owl, buzzard, ferret, snake and other creatures...we even found a leach on a leaf that someone had collected!!  There were hotdogs and bacon butties and the most beautiful pumpkin soup, and the best thing about it - it was all free! You don't find that very often!
Yesterday, we (parents of children at our village school) arranged a Halloween party in the village hall, then tonight, did an hour of trick or treating and finished off at a friend's house for a buffet...there are benefits to living in a small community!

Anyhow, enough of my waffle, onto a card I made using one of Chrissy's digis that I won at Whimsy Stamps Challenge blog...

 ...this one is called Birdie Friend and is coloured with Promarkers.  Once again, I paper pieced the image to give it more dimension...

...it was really difficult to try and get the right angle to show the depth to the layers of decoupage, but I tried! There is about 5 layers in total and it took me an age to work them out, yet again!  I tried allsorts of flowers and embellishments on this card, but in the end, decided against all of them!  I liked the simplicity of it and apart from the little die cut swirl and green pearls, the card is quite plain - it seeemed adding more to it just took away from the image.  I do love these papers though, they are from the First Edition Desert Blooms paper pad - really lovely muted, quite Autumnal shades...delish!...

...I decorated the inside with coordinating papers and just a nesties sentiment panel - the sentiment in full reads "A little bird told me...it's your Birthday!"  Hope you like it!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all had as Happy a Halloween as we did!  Lisa X

I'm entering this card into the following challenges :

Simon Says Stamp

Anything Goes

Dream Valley Challenges

Anything Goes

Digi Doodle Shop Challenge

Anything Goes

The Paper Shelter

Yes, you guessed it, Anything Goes!

Distressed Christmas...(stressed Christmas might be more apt!)

Hi guys, back again!  Been having a bit of a swap around between mine and MIL's house - we went to Ikea in Warrington for the first time, on Friday and OMW I could have bought the entire shop!  Saw so much beautiful furniture...if only...anyhow, MIL bought herself a new dining table, so I relocated hers to my craft room (it was actually my Nan's table originally, so has seen some history!)  What a difference a bit of space makes!?!  Don't suppose it'll have that much space on it by the end of the week - heck tomorrow even, but as it is, the wonderfully empty workspace made my creativity flow and I sat and made a card to share...

...the digi is one of my own and is coloured with Promarkers - I went for a vintage theme, so printed off the red vine paper from the stocking design set on the 12 Cards of Christmas and found a piece of the lantern music paper in my scrap drawer.  I added a paper doily for a touch of delicacy and a lovely organza ribbon and bow, with berries that have been in my box for at least 5 years and wire twirls.  Everything was inked with either Vintage Photo or Walnut Stain Distress Ink (my 2 favourite colours!) and a touch of Glamourdust and Glossy Accents highlighted the image...

...I felt it needed a couple more elements, so cut the Nellie Sellen fancy corner and nestie 'hinges' to add some interest.  The little stamp sentiment is from the postbox sentiment sheet from the 12 Cards of Christmas and I finished the stocking with adhesive pearls.  The finished card has a lovely aged, vintage feel, which I really like - hope you like it too!  Thanks so much for taking the time to visit...Lisa X

I'm entering this card into the following challenges :

Winter Wonderland

Vintage Christmas

Totally Papercrafts

#89 Layer upon layer

Colour Create #82

Burgundy, Gold, Green & Cream

My Teddy Bear...

...I know, I know, where have I been?!!  Gosh, these days are absolutely flying by - the children are already on half term and the clocks go back next weekend!  (Oh no!!)  I'm not very good once the nights draw in - I think I should have beeen a bear and hibernated all winter!  Which takes me nicely onto today's project...I came across this lovely little poem about a Teddy Bear and just knew I had to use it with the little girl from the 12 Cards of Christmas disc...

...I wanted to make something other than a card, so decided on a wall hanging...

...I love this little poem, which I found here, it's all about a child's love for their teddy bear, which instantly made me think of this girl and her bear...

...I printed the digistamp 3 times - on white paper, the birdhouse plaid paper and the pudding swirl paper, all from the 12 Cards of Christmas disc.  I then cut around her pyjama top and bottoms and paper pieced them onto the white image, which I'd coloured with my Promarkers.  Before attaching her top, I roughly cut around the heart from the white layer, so that I could colour it and use on the top layer (hope this makes sense!?)  Because of the wording in the poem, I drew a cross over one of the bear's eyes and added a couple of tiny pieces of cotton wool, as if his stuffing is coming out (Awww!)..

...I dressed the hanging with some of the gardenias (think that's what they're called) from Crafts4U and cut some Sizzix leaves from pale green card and added a few punched mini flowers coloured with Powder Blue.  The pretty border is a long X-Cut one and the backing paper is the pudding plaid, also from the 12 Cards of Christmas.  Hope you like it and thanks for popping over!

I'm entering this project into the following challenges :

I love Promarkers (which I do!) #88

Ain't it Cute!

My Time to Craft Challenge #162

Punches and Dies

I was chosen in the Top 3!

Just been hopping and discovered that I was chosen in the Top 3 over at The Crafty Pad Challenge with my card post titled The Engineer!  Woohoo!  Thanks for choosing me ladies and I look forward to another great challenge! 

The Engineer also came in the Top 3 at Here Come the Boys Challenge #12 Wheely Nice!  Thanks for choosing me ladies!

New Tilda stamp...

Hi guys! Well, I'm back with a card made using my new Magnolia stamp, that I got with my $25 voucher from Simon Says Stamp.  She's called Christmas Party Tilda and I chose my colour scheme with Just Magnolia's Challenge in mind - I've never entered this challenge before, but Pop's challenge this week is Anything Goes with an option of Coffee and Cream - so here's my creation...

...I used the church vine and lantern music papers from the 12 Cards of Christmas CD (I was being a bit lazy TBH as these scraps were sat next to my guillotine after using the papers for samples! - but us crafters don't like waste!)  I used a new folder from Crafts-Too that I picked up at Craft-landudno on Thursday, called Snowflake Banner and as usual, all the edges were inked with Vintage Photo.  I coloured Tilda using my Promakers to fit the colour scheme...

...it took me over an hour to colour this image, trying to get my head around the different layers that I needed...Mariska makes it look so easy on her creations, but I persevered and the finished result gives so much more dimension to a coloured image...

...I embellished the card with some roses and chrysanthemums from WOC and some bead sprays that have been hanging around in my box waiting to be used for ages...think I might be using them more often!...

...The pretty embossed rose ribbon came out again and of course, a few pearls, plus a good sprinkling of Glamourdust on the snowflakes, snowflake background and Tilda's dress.  I finished off with one of the Postbox ticket sentiments from the 12 Cards of Christmas CD - a 'Happy' one to fit in with Crafting When We Can's Bingo challenge and I was done!  I am really enjoying using my Promarkers and am actually quite pleased with the results...I would love to receive this card - might just have to send it to myself!?!  Thanks for popping by and I hope you find inspiration in my work!  Lisa X
I'm entering this card into the following challenges :

Just Magnolia

Anything Goes with an option of Coffee & Cream

Simon Says Stamp

Sparkle and Bling

Crafting When We Can

Bingo Challenge

(Happy sentiment, Distressing and Pearls)

Papertake Weekly (Happy Birthday!)

Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge

5 Flowers

The Engineer...

Hi everyone!  What has happened to the weather?!  Autumn has crept up and slapped us in the face - we've had terrrible winds (not me personally!) and torrential rain for most of the afternoon...anyone would think I lived in Wales!?! LOL!!

Anyhow, I've been really naughty today and spent a couple of hours creating, just for fun...well, for a couple of challenges, anyway.  (The boys were off school, thanks to the teachers strikes and I never seem to get much done when they're off, as there's always something else needing doing!)  I absolutely love the image that I've used on tonight's card, it's called The Engineer and it's by Mo Manning...

...it took me a while to figure out how to colour this one to get all the layers decoupaged, but I am really pleased with the end result...

...I used 5 layers overall to give more dimension to the image, I just hope that the photos show it, as I have to say it really is 3D in the flesh!...

...I created a pocket card with cross-over front, the sentiment panel has the image attached to it and removes from the card...

...I wanted the card to stand up, so I cut a stand in one of the cards that attached together...

...I created the tickets in PS and added a metal train charm and screwhead brad.  The edges of all the papers and image were inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I am really chuffed (ha, ha, get it?!) with the way this one has turned out, especially my image, hope you like it too!  Thanks for popping by and see you soon!  Lisa X

I'm entering this card into the following challenges :

ABC Challenge (Welcome back!)

A is for Anything Goes

One Stop Craft Challenge

Week #151 Just For Men

The Crafty Pad

#141 One for the Boys

Here Come the Boys Challenge

#12 Wheely Nice!

P.S.  DEMONSTRATION DAY AT CRAFT-LANDUDNO, TOMORROW, THURSDAY 6TH OCTOBER FROM 11am - 3pm, I'll be deomnstrating the 12 Cards of Christmas CD-Rom and will have samples from all 3 discs, so come along if you're in the area and say Hi!

Leigh Show and a freebie!!...

A big Hi! to everyone who came along to Leigh Show yesterday, it was a great day and lovely to meet and chat to those of you came over to the stall!  I got some wondeful reactions and feedback for all the samples and hopefully helped by answering any questions that were asked?!  I'd like to say a big heads up to Jan & Vicky, from Warrington, who I had a great chat with - it was lovely to meet you girls and fun too!  (Thanks for becoming a follower Vicky - welcome to the madhouse!)  The day absolutely flew by and once again, by mid afternoon, my voice was failing, but I was glad to meet so many crafty-minded people!  Looking forward to March...2 days...I'd better stock up on throat lozenges!

Well, I don't have a card as yet today, but I thought I would treat you all to a freebie - I'm offfering the witch digistamp, that I used for my post labelled Bewitched!  You can dowload both the line drawing

and coloured image

   in .png format and a co-ordinating web paper

in jpeg via 4shared (just click on the text links to be directed to 4shared.com)  Hope you enjoy using them and Happy Crafting!  Lisa X
p.s. These images will be available until 1st November 2011 - please leave a comment if you like them!