Favourite five cards of 2015

Two post in one day, lol. It's just that I'm rushing in last minute to share my favourite five makes of 2015 with Debby over at A Scrap Journey. My favourite has to be Meg's eighteenth birthday card. She loved it so much it went off to uni with her. I used inkylicious stamps to make the scene and a frantic stamper fern die on the right.

Next up was this scene through the trees using a frantic stamper die and Inkylicious stamps.

 I loved this Honey Doo stamp, which was coloured with be Creative Alcohol markers. The papers are from Be Creative too.

 These last two card both used Be creative papers and Inkylicious stamps too!

Do pop over to see Debby's top 5 cards too - so cute! She also has her top 5 crochet projects and scrapnbook layouts to show you.Thanks for looking and for all your wonderful comments. Hope 2016 is a good one for you xxx

Stamping Sensations Challenge

Happy New Year and time for our first challenge of 2016 at Stamping Sensations!

Our theme this month is......................

********Anything goes with a die********

A nice wide open theme this month and I think most us have a die or two or three. Usual rules apply, you can enter up to three times, combine with other challenges, use any make of stamp......but can I please remind you.........we are a stamping challenge so must see a stamped image, sentiment or quote as the focal element of your artwork. This can be a digi stamp, but not a pre-coloured image. It so upsets us to see names come out in the draw who are not eligible for the prize because they have not read the rules. 
My card above is one that welcomed my great-niece into the family. I used Inky Doodles stamps and a spellbinders scalloped rectangle die.
As I have had the time between Christmas and new year to relax a little, I managed a second card this month.

 The border is a spellbinders die and the stamp is a hero arts digi, coloured with alcohol markers and a few spots of starlights paint. The embossing folder with enclosed die is from Marianne designs. 

We are pleased to welcome Tonic Studios back as this months sponsor and what a fabulous prize they are offering to one very lucky winner.........................

I look forward to being able to purchase some of these beauties myself as they look wonderful! 

Do pop over to the challenge blog and check out the wonderful inspiration from my lovely team mates this month, and I look forward to seeing your entries soon.

Thanks for looking!

Top 5 Christmas Cards of 2015

The lovely Debby is again hosting  Favourite five Christmas cards. Here are mine, although with making them throughout the year I had to search for them this year! First up is one of the snowy scenes like I made last year, using inkylicious stamps. I don't know about you, but I am pining for a bit of snow or frost. All these warm wet days are depressing!

This next one represents all the cards I made using white ink on Kraft, as I couldn't choose a favourite. It was so lovely to see this new Technique from Deby at Inkylicious.

The next represents my re-found love of colouring, especially this beautiful digi from Teri at Delicious Doodles, and using my wonderful Be Creative Markers

My fourth card was made with a stamp from Honey Doo Crafts, a company I was introduced to this year and I now own quite a few of their stamps, lol (Thanks Lesley!)

Finally a card made with a stencil, something I will be doing a bit of more of next year, as I have loved experimenting using different media recently.
Thanks for looking, and do pop over to Debby's blog and take a look at her beautiful cards too.

Krafty Christmas Cards and Merry Christmas!

 Here are my last few Christmas cards using the white ink on Kraft card technique, that Deby from Inkylicious has perfected.

I used the Inkylicious snowflake stencil and winter cabin stamp for the first two.

This next one was made with snippets using the Snowy trees stamps from Inkylicious. I used their fluffy puffy stuff for the snow.

This card is a single layer with a border of gilding flake.

Finally we have Meg's Christmas card. The deer, snowy trees and buzzard stamps are all from Inkylicious as is the fluffy puffy stuff.
Well, I am going to have a day of baking, so this will be my last post before boxing day is over. I'd like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you for all of you who follow, comment and keep me inspired with your gorgeous creations. I hope Christmas brings you everything you wish for and 2016 is full of peace, love and happiness for you and yours x

A winter(?) walk

It is over a week since my last post, in fact it is closer to two! Sorry I haven't been around much. I had a couple of migraines and had heaps to finish before the end of term. We broke up on Friday and Meg arrived home that afternoon too. It meant she could come to Karate Class on Friday evening and attend the Christmas Karate seminar on Saturday. With some improvement in the weather on Sunday we grabbed the opportunity to pull on our boots and go for a walk in the woods.

There was autumn-like sunshine, crunching leaves,

 leaves that were just beginning to turn,

 bare trees....

clear skies...

 spring catkins...

 We even saw blackberries in flower! It may have been confusing, but it was a very enjoyable stroll!

 We managed to get almost all the way to the car before that cloud rained on us too.

Thanks for looking! I hope to be back in the next couple of days with some last minute Christmas cards to share.

Creative Stamping Magazine

 

The latest issue of Creative Stamping Magazine is now on sale.  Here are some cards that I made for it using Be creative papers, markers, buttons and gems. If you want to know how I made them there are step by step instructions in the magazine.

 The paper pad is called Time flies, and is perfect for New Year wishes.

Stamping Sensations December Challenge

Good Morning! I hope you are safe, well and not too badly affected by the latest winter storm. It is the first sunday of the month and time for Stamping Sensations last challenge of 2015. This month our theme is Anything goes with a stamp and a ribbon. For my card this month I used a Woodware clear singles stamp, coloured with Be Creative alcohol markers. The papers, border and gems are from Be Creative too. That gorgeous green ribbon is from our sponsors this month, Crafty Ribbons. Take a look at the wonderful prize they have provided!
                           
What a lovely lot of Ribbons and embellishments! There is also a pair of Tickets for the Manchester Hobbycraft Show in  February. 
My  talented teamies have produced some real beauties for the challenge this month, some lovely inspiration for all occasions. Do pop over to the challenge blog and take a look.
Thanks for looking!

The last Rudolf days of 2015!

Well, that sneaked up on me! What a shock to realise that I have forgotten to sort out my post for the last Rudolf days of 2015! It was only when Sensei said there was only a month to Christmas that I twigged! I have been a bit busy doing work related stuff this week and will be next week too, so I'd better get it sorted now!

First are a couple of cards using a technique I saw Deby from Inkylicious demo at Doncaster in October. It involves dusting Kraft card with Memento Luxe white ink through a stencil. All stamps and stencils are from Inkylicious. Deby has a new blog up and running  and you can find it here. There are step by step instructions on there for this technique.
Next are some cards I made using Be creative Alcohol based markers. The first uses a woodware stamp...

The second was a freebie digi from Cuddly Buddly many moons ago, backed on Be Creative Winterland papers...

The third is another made with Teri Sherman's wonderful holly and rosehip wreath from Delicious Doodles.

The fourth is non-traditional colours, another of Teri's images, and a background made with another woodware stamp and Be creative glitter glue

Do pop over to Scrappy Mo's and take a look at the fabulous Christmas creations and join in if you can. Thanks, Mo for a fabulous year of getting me organised with my Christmas cards!
Thanks for looking!

A snippet make and Buster the Squirrel!

Hi There! I realise that it has been over a week since my last post, but I am working on a few things that I will share with you in due course. I thought I would pop on and share a snippet Christmas card and some photos.

 My card has a snippet of vellum and a snippet of green card that have been in my stash forever! The bauble stamp is a very old one from Stampourium (no longer available). I coloured it using be creative markers, then applied some flake and glitter using the be creative glue wand. Here is a close up.

 I'm taking it to Miss Di's snippet playground. Do pop over and join in the fun if you can. I am also entering this into the current challenge at Penny Black and More, which is Anything Christmas.
Now to introduce you to Buster. This may be Cyril, but I renamed him, due to the fact he is pigging out on my bird peanuts and is now enormous!

 As you can see he fills the bird house!

Thanks for looking!

A snippet make

It has been a couple of weeks since I last made it to Miss Di's snippet playground. I seem to be generating more snippets than I am using with DT projects at present! I was putting together some samples for a workshop and decided to try making some faux patchwork with my snippets. these are all from the be creative winterland pad, which is 8x8" and I tend to make 6x6" or 5x7" like this one. The blue card is also a snippet. I am not sure of the make of the stamp as it is on loan and it is cling mounted. It belonged to the lovely Robert from Once upon a Stamp. I feel very honoured to be using it. I coloured it with be Creative alcohol based markers.
I hope everyone enjoyed the playground bonfire party, and are now recovered ;) I'd really love it if there is bonfire toffee left in the treehouse.
Before I go, if there is anyone who is in reach of junction 29 of the M1 and can make it to the Be Creative warehouse on 21st November, I am holding a Christmas colouring workshop 10.30-12.30. It will be a very relaxing session of colouring and creative fun! More details can be found on the Be creative facebook page about price and booking.
Here is a little taster of some of my sample cards

Hoping to encourage some more snippet usage!
I will leave you with a picture of my lovely Grandad. He volunteered for WWII and made it back from Dunkirk after sleeping in a hen house for 3 nights! He carried one of his comrades a couple of miles to the boats too. I like to remember him at this time of year, as much for the lovely wild fruit picking walks we shared as for his heroism.

  Thanks for looking!