Passion for Promarkers - Christmas in September...

Good afternoon, my crafty friends! Just popping in quickly to tell you all about the new challenge that's starting over at Passion for Promarkers...
The lovely Sue is in the hostess chair and she's given us a theme of 'Christmas in September'...they say it's never too early to start your Christmas cards, but I'm still reeling from the fact that Summer only just ended! We are being sponsored by the fun Dr Digi's House of Stamps, who are offering one lucky winner (who follows the challenge theme and uses their Letraset/Winsor & Newton mediums!) the chance to win a choice of 2 digital images from their online store...

We were lucky enough to choose an image to play with and I picked the simple 'Mistletoe' image - which I thought fit with my current favourite style of clean and simple...

This image reminded me of the wonderfully simple style of Digistamp Boutique (whose digistamps I loved!) and I decided to keep everything in green and white tones, apart from the dark brown frame surrounding the image.  The papers were all from my scrap drawers and I highlighted some of the stripes on the plaid with crystal glitter.  Some pearls, a simple sentiment and a little pink bow is all I felt it needed in the way of embellishment and I was done!
I couldn't believe how many Christmas items are already adorning the supermarket shelves when I did my food shop this morning, I mean, even Advent calendars?!! Do they not grasp the concept that they are the countdown to Christmas...I could fit nearly three in before the 1st December!...now there's a thought?! Though it would be better if it were crackers and cheese rather than chocolate!
Right, off to get the tea on before I have to go out to work - it's taking a bit of getting used to, this working lark...especially when it's in the evenings, but it fits around life at the moment and I'm sure I'll feel better once I get my first pay packet!
Hope you can find the time to play along with our festive challenge this week and I look forward to seeing what you all come up with!
Crafty hugs,

Frugal crafting...

Good afternoon, crafty friends! Well, this is a rarity for me these days - a post between challenges! I have to admit to having lost my crafty motivation since starting work (just a little job four evenings a week, but it's surprising how much more organised I seem to have to be with my time!) but one of the few things that I am always inspired by is the beautiful floral creations I see, made using the Lady E flower dies!

I have to say that I am quite a frugal crafter (my family would call me tight, but hey...tom-A-to, tomato!), so I like to make my crafty stash work to it's best potential and am always looking for new ways of using my existing stash. I have put myself on a crafty stop, mainly because (since starting work) I am more conscious of all the 'stuff' I have and need to find some sense of tidiness and organisation in my home...a huge task, but feel I have to start somewhere...

Anyway, digressing!...I decided to see if I could replicate some of those stunning flowers with some of the flower dies that I already have and I was rather pleased with the result...

I used a couple of Sweet Dixie die sets, including the Christmas Rose, Stylised Daisy and Delicate Blossoms, plus a couple of foliage dies. I thought I would share a quick tutorial on how I created the Poinsettias and the Sunflowers were created in the same way...

Now I know that this would be so much easier and quicker if I had the Lady E poinsettia dies, but I thoroughly enjoyed the couple of hours I had, altering a plain piece of white pearl paper into these pretty floral creations, so know that my love of crafting hasn't waned - I just need to have a destash and get rid of all the clutter that seems to be filling my head too! Plus, it would be nice to actually use the dining room table for it's intended purpose once in a while!
Right, off to put the kettle on and see what's for tea...hope you like my tutorial and maybe it will inspire you to look at your existing dies in a different way...

Until next time, have a wonderfully wacky Wednesday!

Passion for Promarkers - Sequins, Gems or Pearls...

Good afternoon, crafty friends! Just popping in to let you know about this week's brand new challenge from Passion for Promarkers, which starts today!...
It's the lovely Shelly in the hostess chair, giving us a super easy theme of 'Sequins, Gems or Pearls'...something I very rarely create a card without...We're being sponsored by LeAnns World, who are offering one lucky winner 2 digital images of their choice from their online store...

We were lucky enough to get an image to play with and I picked the ever so pretty 'Roses'...

I decided to create a focal point of the image and printed it off quite large, cutting out the lower rose and attaching to the top left corner, before adding a vellum band for the sentiment. I didn't want to go for the typical pink roses (which would probably have been my go to!...) so decided to go with a golden theme, colouring the roses with my Pro/Flexmarkers :

Primrose, Buttercup, Pastel Yellow, Mustard, Gold, Pear Green, Moss and Pesto

I scattered some gems and pearls for  a bit of texture and to adhere to the theme, before matting onto a gold pearl paper and kraft card base.

Short and sweet from me today, I'm afraid - I've started a new job and am still getting used to fitting everything into my routine...off to make the most of the sunshine and get some washing on the line!

Crafty hugs,