A Gift...

I've made this plant marker for a very dear friend, who I know grows loads of things in her garden. I 'm hoping she will be able to use it to mark a row of seedlings or maybe one of her pots of produce.

Just before Christmas I saw these wonderful plant markers on sale and couldn't resist buying a couple with the idea of altering them and making them into more personal and special gifts.


As you can see they already had a black section which I'm guessing was to write the name of the plant on in chalk. However, it wasn't real black board type paint so I decided to bring the plant marker bang up to date. I attached a laminated piece of white card on the back and included a pen attached with a tag and bow as part of the gift.


I stamped Tilda with watering can (one of my all time favourite Magnolia stamps) on to shrink plastic. I also made a shrink plastic flower and pot, which is one of the stamps in the Messy Rabbit collection by Joanna Sheen.

I stamped the background of grass and the sentiment 'Spring in in the air' using a Studio G collection.

All the images were coloured using Sakura Stardust pens.


My gift is also for the challenge at http://magnoliameetsstampavie.blogspot.com/ where everyone was asked to make a gift using a Magnolia stamp.

I'm halfway through altering the other plant marker so do call back tomorrow if you would like to see how that has changed.

You are a star...

This card is just a small card to tell my daughter how proud I am of her coping with her new job, which has been quite a challenge.

I've used a star shaped card I bought at Lakeland some time ago, but it would be quite easy to use a graphics programme or a template to create similar cards.

I embossed the card using a star shaped brass stencil and then stamped this oh so cute little Penny Black mouse in the centre using Versefine Sepia coloured ink which I thought gave him a softer look. He was then coloured using a mixture of Derwent Inktense pencil crayons and All Night Media water colour crayons.

Then shaped inner was part of the original set and I really wanted to stamp 'You are a star' inside, but unbelievably I haven't got that stamp!! The nearest thing I could find was this gold rub on, which has served the purpose, but I would have preferred proper writing. That's just me being fussy though!


I think my card is perfect for the challenge at http://www.mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/, which this week is entitled 'Mice and Easy'! I am hoping that as I've used brown (well sepia) ink and his bowl of stars is pink it will also qualify for the challenge at http://pennybfriendssaturdaychallenge.blogspot.com/ where we asked to use the colours pink and brown.

I'm just a little bit excited...

Okay I'm so excited I found it hard to sleep last night. Yesterday I was featured on Inspirational - two cards and the ribbon holder I made recently.

It's just unbelievable. All the times I have looked at the most incredible work on there and now they have picked some things of mine out! I keep thinking someone will come along and say 'ooooh we made a mistake' - lol.

If you have time check out http://inspirationalcraftblogs.blogspot.com/2009/01/anns-beautiful-ribbon-holder.html.

Make a cup of coffee before you do though because if you haven't been to this site before you will be there a long time.

Green and black...

Isn't this lady image just fabulous? I just love the pose and the wonderful folds on her dress.

I created the card for the challenge at http://rainbowladyschallengeblog.blogspot.com/ which was to make a card using the colours green and black. I'm sorry to say that I'm so late getting this card uploaded that the challenge has now changed, but I'm sure Cynthia will forgive me!!

As I have used some of my Christmas stash...

adhesive pearls and chocolate (not on the card - eaten while crafting - lol) the card is also great for the card at http://cutecardthursday.blogspot.com/ or it would have been yesterday!! I am having such a good week - need to make mental note to create cards for challenges while the challenge is still running.

Things can only get better!

Materials used:

• rubber stamp (I think this is one from Frantic Stamper, but am not 100% sure)
• green paper by DCWV
• green lace paper by Joanna Sheen
• cream card
• pearls from stash
• black organza ribbon
• You're SPECIAL sentiment stamp by Hero Arts
• Cuttlebug Swiss dots folder
• Derwent Inktense and Sakura Clear Stardust to colour image

Just been to Cynthia's Challenge Blog at http://rainbowladyschallengeblog.blogspot.com/ and this week is 'Fashion' - so my green and black creation fits just fine - I'm not late at all, but the first!!!

Favourite Folder...

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for a new challenge at http://cuttlebugchallenge.blogspot.com/ and this week is especially important for me as it's my first week as an official design team member. I'm still so excited about this - there are so many exciting things both going on now and planned for the future that it's just wonderful to be involved.

If you haven't visited there this week please do as there has been an amazing article about storage ideas for your cuttlebug folders. The wonderful boxes on show really put my storage system to shame. I must add 'make neat storage' to my ever growing list of things to do.

Anyway less rambling and on to this week's challenge, which is to use your favourite embossing folder!!

Oh my which is your favourite?

Swiss Dots because you can use it on every card and it always looks good? Divine Swirls because it's just so elegant? Snowflakes because - well snowflakes are just so pretty?

I thought long and hard about this and decided to go for one of the 'word' folders. I do love these folders - I find them so easy to make a simple card and because the words are already there they need so little adding to make them special.


For the challenge I used the 'Baby' words folder on vellum. I've quite a craze on vellum this week and have used it on most things and have had some lovely results. However, the word folders are quite tricky to use as the letters are close together and the embossing causes the paper to split. Not a good look!!!

I found the answer to be use a very, very thick vellum. I actually used Pergamano vellum and this was successful. I think closing your eyes, crossing your fingers and hoping for the best also helps.

I must give credit to my dear friend Irene who showed me how to combine two folders on a DL card when I stayed at her house. Since she showed me that technique I have used it so many times. Using that technique on these cards also meant that my cherished Swiss Dots folder got in on the act too!!!

Don't forget that if you enter this week's challenge you get another entry for my blog candy event. Do take a look at http://cuttlebugchallenge.blogspot.com/ and enter your card there to be entered for the chance to win the 'Treetops' embossing folder.

A present for a friend...

Something fun today and also something that was really hard to fit in a photo. Somehow I couldn't get this to look right, but oh well you get the idea.

I've wanted to have a go at making this for a while, but haven't really had the chance.

The alphabet is a fun clear set by Penny Black. I stamped each letter leaving a 1cm gap between each one for the ribbon.

After stamping and colouring I cut a notch at the top of each 1cm space to allow me to wind the ribbon securely.

My favourite character is the owl - looks like I feel today - half asleep!

My ribbon holder fits two challenges ...

'Anything but a card' at http://thesecretcraftersaturdaychallenge.blogspot.com/
and (if I am quick) the same challenge at http://artygirlzchallengeblog.blogspot.com/.

The images were coloured using a mixture of Derwent Inktense and Lyra Aqua crayons.

Blog Awards...

Two New Awards!!!

Oh my I have been given two awards in one day!!!

How amazing is that?

My dear friend Irene at http://alloccasionscards.blogspot.com/ gave me the fabulous Encouraged award and Maria, a blogging buddy, at http://joyfulstamper.blogspot.com/ gave me the Nice Blog Award.

Thank you so much to both of you for thinking of me.

Now I really need to pass these awards on to 5 of my blogging friends. I would like to give them to each and everyone of the talented bloggers I visit everyday, but that would take me many weeks so if you visit my blog please feel free to pick up one or both of the awards to pass on to your friends.

Here are my five in no particular order:

Denise at http://lavenderosecraft.blogspot.com/

Edna at http://www.ednasplace.blogspot.com/

Wendy at http://craftblog.craftybutterfly.co.uk/

Beryl at http://bikshome.blogspot.com/

Wendy at http://pixiehousedesigns-craftypixie.blogspot.com/

Quick Card in a quarter...

The challenge at http://tandastamps.blogspot.com/ this week was to make a card in 15 minutes. Not for someone that can easily spend far longer than that just choosing the papers this was a toughie!!

As I have had an embosing on vellum phase this week I decided to go with that and use my Cuttlebug 'Bird Call' embossing folder. The sentiment is stamped on white card attached below the vellum with gold brads. I love the way the vellum softens the writing and I think for a sympathy card it's a very appropriate effect.

Materials used:

• white card
• gold card
• Cuttlebug Bird Call embossing folder
• gold border, sentiment and flourish peel offs
• gold brads
  

Exciting News...

It's only 50 something weeks to Christmas!!! No far more exciting than that - well it is for me anyway...

I am officially on the design team at http://cuttlebugchallenge.blogspot.com/.

I am so proud and honoured to be asked to be a member of this team. I was lucky enough to find the Cuttlebug Challenge site when it first began and have been overwhelmed by the amazing tutorials and the way there is always something new happening. So many ideas and inspiration. It really means a lot to me to be on the team.

To celebrate my excitement I am offering some blog candy - not a massive prize, but one I'm sure would be appreciated by any cuttlebug fan out there. It's a brand new 'Treetops' cutting and embossing folder - the same as the one I used to make my all white card above and that I have used on so many things this Christmas.

If you would like to be in with a chance of winning this folder please leave a message here and let your friends know by putting a link on your blog. If you haven't got a blog that's fine leave a message and just tell your friends anyway.

Now there is a little twist to this candy!!! Next, Wednesday, 14th January, will be my first official challenge (am I nervous - lol?) and I would love this challenge to be really, really well supported so ...

Take a look at http://cuttlebugchallenge.blogspot.com/ on the 14th and enter the new challenge which will be set that day - don't panic you'll have until the following week to complete your card and I'm not giving the game away, but it is a really good, fun challenge.

On Wednesday, 21st January, I will put all the names from the comments left here and the names of people entering the challenge (so some of you will have two chances) into a hat and draw out one lucky winner.

The winner will be announced that day and the prize posted out ASAP.

The Cuttlebug Challenge team are from all around the world so I will post the prize out to anywhere. Good luck everyone.