Let your dreams take flight

Good evening my lovelies.  A bit of a late pop in from me but it's just been one of those days .. you know the sort where you've been busy but nothing actually got done kinda day .. yes one of those and don't you just hate them .. well I do with a passion.  Hubby was home today the first Saturday in at least a month where he's not had to work and I thought hey that will be kinda nice - yes until that was he had a great idea he was going to tidy and rearrange his garage.  Somehow, not quite sure how, but I seem to now have a conservatory full of 'toot' that was obviously in the garage for a reason and he's decided he doesn't want it in there so I feel a tip run coming on big time!

Anyway, I digress, what I'm really popping in for is not to share my moans with you all but to share my latest creation with you.  I was asked by a dear friend if I would make her a card for her to give to her daughter after her proms and exams have all finished.  My only remit was to have an image of a dress to resemble her prom dress and the colour minty green but with a turquoise hint to it to match her outfit and her hair to be strawberry blonde.  Of course my first port of call was Saturated Canary as I knew I would find an image for what I needed from Krista's amazing collection and I settled on 'Bubbles' who I think is perfect.  She has as normal been coloured with copics.  I was lucky enough to have in my collection the gorgeous Melissa Frances '5th Avenue' paper pad which complimented the image perfectly.  I decided to distress things up a little and roughed up the edges of the papers and inked them up with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  In fact I went a little bit ink crazy and distressed quite a lot buy hey I like the outcome so no worries.

Image:  'Bubbles' Saturated Canary

Medium:  copics

Papers:  Melissa Frances '5th Avenue'

Sentiments:  Whimsy Stamps ''Fluttering By' stamp set, LOTV sentiment tags 'set 24'

Dies:  Whimsy Stamps 'Dragonfly' border die, Whimsy Stamps 'Butterfly Frame' die, Die-namics 'Faux Crochet' border die, Spellbinders Nestabilities 'Romantic Rectangles', Magnolia Doohickey 'So wrapped lovely' tag die, Magnolia Doohickey 'Dragonfly' die set

Flowers:  Wild Orchid Crafts 

Another piccie to show the pull out tag made using an older Magnolia Doohickey die.

My last piccie shows the adorable Saturated Canary digi image.  She was a dream to colour and that hair is so gorgeous and beautiful to colour.  

Copic List

Face/Body:  E000, E11, E13

Hair:  E50, E53, YR23

Hazel Eyes:  YG91, BG93, bG96

Dress:  BG11, BG13, C3/C1, C2, C3

Challenges:-

Bunny Zoes Crafts  -  lovely layers

Crafty Ribbons  -  ribbon and lace

The Ribbon Girl  -  May 'any image' challenge

Stamping Sensations  -  anything goes

Okay that's all from me this evening.  It's late and I really should climb the wooden hill to bed but I bought a couple of digis in the week and I haven't had chance to play with them yet so my fingers are itching to colour so maybe I'll just have a very quick play honest!!

Take care folks and happy crafting.

Ann-Marie

xxx

Vintagey Criss Cross - DTDF DT

Hello everyone I hope you are all well.  We've had gorgeous weather here in Bournemouth the last few days and I sure do hope it remains so.  I seem to have been away from my blog for a few days it just seems to be a tad on the busy side here lately - my other half claims 'that's just bad time management' but you know he always says this whilst being a safe distance away mmmm I wonder why!?!

Anyway, I'm here now to share with you some Dies to Dies For DT inspiration and for my make I've made a vintagey style criss cross card.  I used THE most gorgeous Pion Design papers from the 'My Precious Daughter' collection which Tracy has in stock over in the Dies to Die For store.  My goodness peeps these are stunning and after an inordinate amount of stroking I felt it was time to cut into them, so with brown paper bag at the ready for the ensuing hyperventilating this is what my card turned out like.

Image:  Pion Design 'My Precious Daughter' image sheet

Papers:  Pion Design 'My Precious Daughter - Baby Doll'

Pion Design 'My Precious Daughter - Alma's dress'

Dies:  Cheery Lynn 'Victorian Flourish'

Tim Holtz 'Walnut Stain' Distress Ink pad

A piccie of card with the inside section.  I love the Cheery Lynn flourish die I think it goes perfectly with the vintagey theme and I also used it on the pull out panel I just turned it on it's side.

A closer look and side view.  All the papers and flourishes have been inked up with Tim Holtz 'Walnut Stain' Distress ink.

Okay folks that's all from me today.  I've got another nearly finished card sat on my desk so I will be back with that in the next day or two.  

Thank you for dropping in and I hope you like my little bit of vintagey inspiration for you.  

Take care.

Ann-Marie 

xxx

Shabby Chic/Vintage over at Whimsy Stamps Challenge

Hello everyone from a rather soggy Bournemouth but there is an upside to that yep it means its a perfect day to stay in and just craft if you can. 

Well today its time for the Whimsy rubber team to share with you their makes for the challenge over at the Whimsy Inspirations blog which as my title suggests is Shabby Chic/Vintage.  So come on over and share with us your Vintage/Shabby loveliness there's still plenty of time to enter and we'd love to have you and as usual we have three prizes up for grabs. 

Anyway, let me show you what I made.  I'm kinda getting into full Christmas mode so I've made another Christmas card to add to my pile, my rather small pile that is, so going to have to get my backside into gear I think!!

Image:  'Snowflake Bauble' by Time for Tea for Whimsy Stamps

Medium:  copics

Papers:  First Edition 'Christmas Village' using up papers from last year

Dies:  Spellbinders 'Floral Ovals'

 

The usual close up.  I loved colouring her up and as usual I used my copics which I've listed below.

Copics List

 

Face/Body:  E000, E21, E11, R20, R81

Clothes/Shoes:  G02, G05, G28/R22, R27, R29, R59

Hair:  E31, E33, E35, E37, E29

 

I'm off now folks I've got a hankering for some homemade chicken soup just like my nan used to make so I've got me some chopping to do.

 

Take care and happy crafting.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

 

 

Forgotten Sugar!!

Hi guys, I've been away a little longer than I planned but we've managed to catch every bug going around the school and you know kiddies they love to share so we've all had something in one form or another.  

I've been trying to complete this card for a good week and a half at least!  Anyway, here it is and I wanted to do an easel card/box as I haven't done one for a long time.  I was going through my stamps and came across this little forgottren treasure from Sugar Nellie.  She's so sweet and easy to colour.  I've used copics and prisma pencils and the papers are my all time fave GCD studios 'Ella Blue'.  Not sure you can see very well but I have had a go at distressing the papers both with my scissors and then going over with distress ink.  There were a couple of challenges around (well there were when I started it!!) that wanted Vintage/Shabby Chic.  Well I love shabby chic/vintage but I can never quite get that 'shabby' look but I tried and I do think it came out more 'vintage' than anything but I quite like it and for once I'm quite happy with the end result.

I used flowers from WOC and the others were made using a Magnolia Doily Flowers die which I absolutely love. 

The sentiment is from Whimsy, the butterflies are a really old punch I can't even remember where I got it from.

I would like to enter into a few challenges:-

Bunny Zoes  -  Shabby Chic/Vintage

Simon Says Stamp  -  Anything goes

Wild Orchid Crafts  -  BINGO (gems,flowers,ribbon)

Okay I've gotta dash now, its an early tea today for us all as we have parents evening for Emilie, my youngest, at 6.10 p.m. and then Luke, the eldest, has a school disco at 6.30 p.m.  All I can say is thank god that the two schools are next to each other otherwise that would be fun trying to get to both!!!

Take care folks, catch up with you soon.

Ann-Marie

xxx

Vintage Christmas Tilda

Hello everyone, well its halfway through the week already and not long left of the kiddies summer holiday now the days seem to be going by so quickly. The weather has been plop we have not even managed to get down the beach once in this holiday and there's a little spot in the New Forest we like to go with a little stream for the kiddies to play in and for the past two Tuesdays (nanny's day off) we've planned to go with nanny for a picnic and each time its tipped down so we've ended up having the picnic indoors on a blanket in the lounge. The kiddies think its fun but its so annoying when you can't rely on having a warm sunny day in August!!! Right I promise no more moaning from me.

Today I have another Chrimbly card to show you and I've gone vintage again really enjoying this style at the mo. I was going to do another one draw box for the card to sit on again but I don't know what was the matter with me but everything kept going wrong so I gave up in disgust and just left it as an easel card. I've used one of my favourite Tilda Christmas stamps from last year which I got from Sir Stampalot and coloured her with my copics and you can't see it in the piccie but all her fur on her coat has been stickled. All the papers have been distressed, inked and then stickled too.


I've used papers from last year's My Minds Eye Signature Christmas stack, flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, swirls were made using a small Sizzix die, sentiments are Inkadinkado and of course loadsa pearls. Last photo from a different angle.


I would like to enter my card into a few challenges :-

A Spoon Full of Sugar - Christmas in August

Charisma Cardz Challenges - Easel Card

Craftalicious challenge - Pearls and Swirls

Friday Sketchers - great sketch

Craft your days away challenges - favourite things (My most favourite holiday time)

Bunny Zoe's Crafts - theme of vintage

Right I'm off now my eldest has just locked the conservatory door and locked his little sister out in the back garden and she's wailing like a banshee so I'm off to sort them out - wish me luck!!!!

Take care.

Ann-Marie

xxx

Distressed at distressing!!!

Afternoon to all you lovely peeps out there I hope you're having a good week so far. This is the second week of my kiddiewinkles school holiday so I've not had much of a chance to craft and blog or do much hopping around to see what you've all been up to but I must say we're so enjoying not having a routine and just coming and going as we please. Hubby is home today so I've managed to jump on the computer and load my latest card and hopefully manage to enter a few challenges.

I've so wanted to have a go at the 'vintage' look for a while now and this is my first attempt. All you lovely peeps seem to pull this look off beautifully but as the title suggests I find the vintage thing a little harder to achieve. I must say, however, I am fairly pleased with the outcome and will definately be having another go. Well my first piccie shows the overall package of an easel card on top of a one drawer box and the presentation box I made for it to go in and my next piccie shows the card/box a little closer.

My last piccie at a different angle with the drawer open. All the edges have been distressed with my scissors and inked and then stickled. My little maggie was coloured with copics and the white areas of her dress have all been stickled as well and what with all the pearls and gems added my card is well and truly blinged up!

A quick low down on the stash - the papers are all Papermania matted on black cardstock. Little gold charm and pearls from The Works. Sentiments from a pack of diecuts I bought from Lakeland a couple of years ago. Flowers are a mixture from Wild Orchid Crafts and Hobbycraft, ribbon from my stash and my maggie was from Sir Stampalot.

Challenges I am entering this into are:-

Cupcake Craft - distressing

Sunday Sketch and Stamp - fabby sketch

Sir Stampalot challenge - bring on the bling!

Well folks gotta dash the kiddies and hubby are now sending daggers my way as I'm taking too long on the old comp and we promised them we would take them to their favourite play area! Hopefully catch up with you all later and wherever you are hope you're having a great day too.

Take care.

Ann-Marie

xxx