2 firsts on one card!

Hi everyone!  Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...why?....because I have so many things to do and so little time to do it in!  My time has been taken up creating for other people, making and wrapping stocking filler gifts for both our village school and church fair, finishing off cards to sell, making cards for our workshop and fufilling card orders, hence the shortage of blog posts!  Our school fair went okay, not as many people as usual, but still managed to raise a good amount for our little village school and our church fete was a huge success - the snowman soup mugs, sweetie jars and whisks went down a storm and will help towards our huge village quota for this year!  I still have Christmas presents to make and wrap, although most of my pressie shopping is done...thank goodness!

So anyway, today's card has been a working progress for over a week now, since I stamped and coloured my Captain Edwin - and this is where the firsts came in...

...the first 'first' on my card is that I coloured Edwin in with the 'No lines' technique, stamping him with Antique Linen Distress Inks, before colouring with my Promarkers...boy did my head hurt when I'd finished, but it gives the image a completely different look!  So, then onto my second 'first'...

...this is the first shaker card I have made!  I know, where have I been?!!  I used nesties to create the frame and embossed the acetate with Divine Swirls Cuttlebug folder, to look like waves and added little blue seed beads as the shaker bits.  The papers are from the Boys2Men pirate design set and all the edges have been inked with Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Walnut tain and Stormy Sky.   I added a big buckle and filigree key charm, as I thought it went with the theme and decorated the inside to coordinate...

...and a sideways view...

I thought I would also show you one of the cards we made at our workshop today...

...I just fancied making a New Year card and clocks and timepieces are so en vogue at the moment, so this is waht I came up with.  I love the fancy corner that I used to decorate the clock - think it's a Nellie Snellen one - I used a whole one for the top of the clock and cut a second to decorate the bottom and sentiment...

...the lovely embossing is Cuttlebug folder Clockworks, inked with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain.  I really liked the finished result and think it could be adapted for so many occasions.

Thanks so much for popping by and viewing my creations, hope you like them and that with any luck, I'll be able to post again soon!  Lisa x

Newsflash!

This post will stay at the top for a fortnight, please scroll down for newer posts.

Well guys, how about this?!  I have discovered that the text insertion on all of my discs - Plush Pals, Boys2Men and 12 Cards of Christmas is editable!  By this, I mean that you can change the font, style, size and colour of the text - how great is that?!!!  When I created the discs, I created the text boxes with Rich text formatting options, but never could work out how to enable it in Adobe Reader and now I have...so you see, it seems like we're all still learning after all!!

So, if you have any of my discs, the newsflah is that you can edit the text properties on any of the inserts and envelope toppers simply by typing your chosen text into the text field, click and drag to highlight it, then, the easiest way is to press CTRL and E and this will open the Text Properties Bar (you can open the text properties bar by going to View>Toolbars and clicking to put a tick next to Properties Bar).  Once you have opened the Properties Bar, it should remain activated whenever you go into Adobe Reader and will open when you type in text, if not, just click CTRL + E!

Hope you find this useful and that it adds another element to your creations, plus watch this space for future discs!!  Happy text editable crafting!!!!  Lisa

5 minutes of fame!...

Hi everyone!  Tonight I have something a little bit different to share with you all...this afternoon, I went down to our local village school and helped the children make some papercraft advent calendars for their after school club.  They all behaved wonderfully and made a fabulous job of their calendars, as you can see from the pictures below...

...for doing such a good job, I promised to show their work on my blog for everyone to see their brilliant creations!  (Who knows, maybe, future crafters in the making?!)

At the last club, we made origami twisted paper tree decorations and beaded wreath ornaments, to help dress their trees for Christmas.  So, here's a big hello to Freddy, Alfie, Joseph, Wil, Jack, John, Joshua, Ceara, Lilly, Beca, Morgan, Amy, Emma, Robb and Alice!!  Well done guys for all your hard work - hope your Mums and Dads like them!
Thanks for popping over and viewing their work, I am sure it'll make their day!  Lisa
P.S. A huge hello to my newest follower, Sarah - thanks so much for joining my little blog and I hope you take inspiration from my work!

Housemouse Christmas...

...I made some time to play again today - the housework is piling up, but you have to have priorities!!  Decided to ink up a stamp that I 'borrowed' from Mam ages ago (she will get it back one day!). I do love Housemouse stamps and this image is just sooo cute that i had to make a special Christmas card, a bit more than your bog standard square, so here goes...

...I decided to make an easel card, but kept it the right way up this time!  The card base is one of Craft UK's scalloped 7"x5" cards and I folded the front, but not at half way, so the front part of the easel is shorter than the back - this just changes where the top of the easel sits when open and I wanted room to add a sentiment panel inside.  The layers were cut using the Go Kreate large frames, Frilly #2 and my nestie labels - I embossed the cream layer with the card still in the die, using my Texturez Plate, so I retained the lovely embossed border and got the embossed pattern inside the frame...

...my little mice were coloured using Promarkers and I kept the colour combination monochromatic, but browns and creams instead of black and white...I am rather pleased with the way the candlestick turned out, I managed to get a nice bit of light on it which makes all the difference!

Once again, I added some WOC roses and chrysanths and punched some Martha Stewart Fir branches from some antique gold cardstock.  I used some of the lovely wide, wired organza ribbon and tied a large bow with a pearl accent in the centre and added pearls to the sentiment bar and corners, which were embellished with a nestie accent, think it's tulip something!?!

I inked up part of the stamp to decorate a sentiment panel on the inside...it took me about 7 attempts, but I managed it in the end!  The sentiment stamp was actually 2 See D's stamps that I got in a set years ago and chopped up to fit them in the space I had!  Another card to add to my collection for the school fair...fingers crossed I sell some!  Thanks for dropping by and viewing my work, and please leave me a comment if you like it - it's always so uplifting when you get a bit of feedback on your work!  Thanks, Lisa x

I'm entering this card into the following challenges :

Stamp, Scrap & Doodle

Embossing

Stampavie & more

#156 Anything but Square

Divas by Design

Monochromatic

Bunny Zoe's Crafts

Anything Christmas with Pearls

Truly Scrumptious

Christmas with Pearls or Vintage

I'm back again!

Well, what can I say?  Blink and a fortnight disappears!!!  I really don't know where this last 2 weeks have gone and we are scarily hurtling towards Christmas at an alarming rate - and I haven't even started my shopping yet!?!  I have been busy doing other crafty things for our village school - I did two after school clubs making paper and bead Xmas tree decorations (you wouldn't believe how much prep work there is to keep 15 kids occupied for an hour!) and have been making boxes and adding inserts to all my challenge cards to sell at our school Xmas Fair.  Plus, helping find costumes for both the school play and church nativity and making gifts to sell at the church fair at the beginning of December...so I haven't been idle!

So, at last, I have a card to share with you all - I thoroughly enjoyed making it and am rather pleased with the end result too, so that's a bonus!  It's another card made with Christmas Party Tilda, although I have done her as a Birthday Tilda....

...I tried to challenge myself with the colour combo and pick out papers that I wouldn't particularly use together and was quite surprised at the result - I used First Edition Desert Blooms as the main paper, the dotty from Summer Breeze and the blue tile effect paper was one that I picked up in Llandudno and has no name!  I coloured Tilda with my Promarkers and tried to get a bit of depth to her dress...not bad, but I think I need a bit more practice...

...I added some WOC roses, just because they are fabulous and filled in with a couple of silk flowers from Hobbycraft (need more of these) and 2 stunning hat pins from an outing with my wonderful Auntie Di...

...the butterflies are a Martha Stewart punch - I punched them from the blue tile paper, then caught the edges with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink and glittered with Glamourdust!

...I decorated the inside of the card with the same papers and an outline image of Tilda with a couple of tiny butterflies cut with an XCut punch and the Nellie Snellen rose corner in gold...

...the card is another easel card on it's side...seems to be a favourite at the moment!  Hope you like my creation and thanks for popping by despite my absence!  Many thanks, Lisa X

I'm entering this card into the following challenges :

The ABC Challenge

D is for...Dazzle

(I have glitter paper, glittered buterflies, glitter on Tilda's dress, shiny pearls and pins)

Crafting When We Can

Female Birthday

My Mum's Craft Shop

Mix and match it...

Hanging around...

Okay, it doesn't happen very often, but today is one of those times when I just love the way my card has turned out!  I decided to colour up this cute little tortoise/turtle picture, called Hang in There, that was another of my chosen digis from my Whimsy Stamps Challenge win...

...isn't he just adorable?!  I am really into my Promarkers and paper piece decoupage, after getting inspiration from the lovely Mariska's work - this one took a little less time to figure out all the pieces...

...though I still needed 5 copies of the image to decoupage!

 ...I used the out of frame technique to cut the base layer by cutting around the leaves on the left hand side of the image, so that they laid over the nestie labels die and weren't cut off!  The papers are First Edition's Summer Breeze paper pad - really pretty!  I used a coordinating paper to decorate the inside of the card...

The card shape is an easel card turned on it's side...

...I just like the way it stands open with the front and back sitting parallel - it's just a bit different from the usual side fold square card...

...The flowers were coloured with Promarkers to match and were punched using an XCut flower punch, the leaf sprig is a MS punch, as is the butterfly punch.  The setniment reads 'Just hanging around to say...Happy Birthday'.

 ...The paper piecing gives the image so much dimension and as I said, I just love the way this one has turned out, my colours and everything!  Can I send it to myself?!

I'm entering this lovely creation (if I say so myself!) into the following challenges :

Crafty Catz

Anything Goes

Stampavie and more

Anything Goes

Creative Inspirations

Lashings of sparkle!

(Glitter paper, glitter on my image and crystal flower gems)

Crafty Purple Frog

Sparkle Challenge

Papertake Weekly

Anything Goes (plus a bit of bling)

Something different to share...

Hi guys!  No card tonight, but I thought I'd share with you a little project that I did yesterday...

...sewing is not really my forte, but I like to have a go, when I have the time!  This is for our school Christmas fair at the end of month - not sure whether I'm going to sell it, or fill it with goodies as a raffle prize...The stocking is quilted on the front and all the seams are magically hidden as I've lined it too!  I love the fabric that this is made from, although I had to be clever with it as I only had a small piece and so pieced the panels together to make it the right shape for my template...

...I added some lace and ribbon along the top edge and created a hanging loop, then added some silk leaves, diamante spray and paper roses to embellish...

....I am loathed to give it away, but never get a stocking myself (the rest of the house does, but not me...sniff!!)  I might just have to make another one and keep this one for me in the hopes that Santa might fill it?! ;-)  Why not challenge yourself and have a go at something 'different'?  You never know, you might just surprise yourself...I did! (Though I'll never be a seamstress!)  Hope you liked looking and thanks for hopping by.  Lisa X

I'm entering this project into the following challenges :

Pollycraft Monday

Anything Goes

Anything Goes Challenge Blog

Stitches Real or Faux

(mine are very real!)

Not sure what the rules are to entering projects other than papercraft ones, but I'm giving it a go and if it's not eligible, don't worry.

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!