Hello Little Robin

Happy Thursday my lovelies.  I hope you are all well.  We are in the final stretch of the school holidays now so it's been operation back to school shopping for me this week.  This is my least favourite part of the holidays the school store is always absolute madness and because my daughters uniform can only be bought there I have no choice but to endure and it always annoys me how costly it is.  If they insist on our children wearing this uniform the least they could do is make it more affordable.  It's safe to say I won't be treating myself to any crafty items this month!!

Anyway, that's enough moaning for today that's not why you've popped in.  Well everyone seems to be making a start of their Christmas cards of late, as I've noticed quite a few cropping up across blogs and Instagram, so I thought I may as well join the party and make a start on mine.  So I had a rummage around in my older stamps and found this little beauty.  She is an old Sugar Nellie image 'Hello little robin' and she's a real sweetie.  Don't you find with all the new goodies appearing on the market you forget about your older stamps and that's a shame as I have some beauties.

Image:  Sugar Nellie 'Hello little robin'

Sentiment:  LOTV Christmas tags

Medium:  Tim Holtz Distress Markers

Papers:  The Paper Boutique 'A whisper of winter'

Dies:  Whimsy Stamps 'Christmas branch' set, Whimsy Stamps 'Hellebore flower' die set

I also changed it up a bit and had a go at colouring with Distress Markers.  I've never really got the hang of these but I'm fairly happy how this turned out, although a lot more practice is needed.  I also pulled out some Christmas paper from last year.  This is beautiful and I see they've brought some more gorgeous papers out this year too and I know I don't need them but I'm afraid I'm just going to have to have them lol!

I also had a play around with some foamiran and had a go at making my own hellebores.  I can see this being my flower of choice this festive season as they're beautiful.  I used white foamiran and coloured the centre with blue oil pastel but my photography is ploppy and the light in my conservatory doesn't help so you can't see the colours properly but you get the gist.

Here's a closer look at the image.  As I say a lot more practice is needed with the markers.  As you can see I went a little sparkle happy, but hey if you can't add lots of glitter to your Christmas cards when can you lol!!

Distress Markers used

Skin:  Tattered Rose, Vintage Photo

Clothes:  Chipped Sapphire, Milled Lavendar, Spun Sugar, Weathered Wood

Fur Trim:  Picket Fence, Weathered Wood

Basket:  Vintage Photo, Aged Mahogany, Bundled Sage, Scattered Straw, Barn door

Right, that's all from me today.  I'm off to feed the troops before they lynch me, as apparently I'm taking too long cooking tea!

Take care folks and happy crafting.

Ann-Marie

xxx

Challenges:-

Moving along with the times  -  things with wings

Addicted to stamps and more  -  anything goes

Simon Says Wednesday challenge  -  anything goes

The Holly and Ivy Christmas challenge  -  anything Christmas goes

Creative Craft Cottage  -  Christmas

Merry little Christmas challenge  -  anything goes

12 months of Christmas link up  -  optional twist - sparkle, glitter and bling

Creative Inspirations  -  something seasonal

Halloween Treats - Polkadoodles Challenge Wk 34

Happy Friday folks, I hope you are all fine and dandy.

Well as it's Friday it's new challenge time over at Polkadoodles and I'm popping in with my new DT make.  I went with a Halloween theme for this one and made a little swing box to house some sweets.  I thought as I'm not sure whether my daughter will want to go trick or treating this year and secretly I'm hoping she does as I love it big kid that I am lol, I made a little treat gift box to give her just in case we don't go.  I'll still be getting candy in though for our spooky little visitors and the old Hocus Pocus dvd will get an airing with a side order or mum's Halloween candy!!

So I made my little swing box using the template from Polkadoodles Lemonade Fizz download kit.  Printed off papers from the Halloween Trick or Treat papers collection and made a little topper using Winnie Wednesday Witch coloured with copics.  I've popped the links below to the items I've used.

Image:  Polkadoodles Winnie Wednesday Witch

Medium:  copics

Papers:  Polkadoodles Halloween Trick or Treat collection

printed on to Ultimate Graphic paper

Swing box template:  from the Lemonade Fizz download collection

My usual close up of the image.  She really is a sweetie and I love the little pussy cat.

Copics list

Skin:  E000, E11, E13, R20

Clothes:  G12, G14, G19/BV02, BV04, BV08/

Promarkers Honeycomb, spice, burnt orange

Hair/cat:  C1, C3, C5, C7

Broomstick:  E43, E44, E47, E49

Okay, that's all from me today.  I've got one more day at work and then a couple of days off and it's meant to be rather nice weather so I fancy a walk in the forest as it's been a while since we've done that and I always find it so relaxing.  May even take a camera and see what interesting things we can find to photograph.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Take care

Ann-Marie

xxx

Challenges:

Crafty Creations  -  anything goes

Love to Craft  -  August anything goes

Creative Inspirations  -  seasonal (I've gone with autumnal and Halloween)

Time to Sparkle

Happy Thursday lovely crafty peeps.  I hope your week is going well.  We're all okay here we've been doing some back to school shopping as the end of the summer break is creeping ever nearer much to the dismay of the kiddiewinkles.  

I can feel autumn just around the corner too.  I can see my summer bedding in my pots just beginning to fade and my pretty solar lights are coming on earlier and earlier of an evening.  I've noticed a few leaves starting to turn and I spotted the V formation of some geese today flying off to better feeding grounds.  The Rowan tree is laden with berries this year so I think autumn will be a little earlier than normal but hey I'm not complaining it is my favourite season after all!

Anyway I digress lol.  I'm actually popping in to share with you my latest DT make for Crafteezee.  I inked up the fab All Dressed Up 'Time to Sparkle' stamp this time and coloured her with copics to compliment the beautiful LemonCraft Sense & Sensibility paper.  I felt in the mood for a little clean and simple card which shows off the gorgeous image and also used a pretty Lady E Design wavy border die to add some interest.  I've popped all the links to the items I've used at the end of my post.

A little closer look at the image.  The sentiment comes with the stamp too.

Okay so that's all from me today.  I've a full day ahead, work until the afternoon and then school shoe shopping which I'm not looking forward to … wish me luck!!

Thank you for stopping by my little blog.

Take care and happy crafting.

Ann-Marie

xxx

Challenges:-

Simon Says Wednesday challenge  -  CAS

Color Throwdown #557 -  purple/blue/turquoise/yellow

All Dressed Up  -  anything goes

Sir Stampalot challenge  -  things with wings

Pretty Tilda with butterfly dress

Hello my lovelies.  How are you all on this fine Monday afternoon.  All is good in our little household.  The washing is on the line and a few chores are done so I've crept into my crafty hideout before anyone notices lol.  The kiddies are now entering their fourth week of summer break and are getting a tad restless so not sure how long I will manage to hideout before they want something.  

Okay so I have popped in to share my latest creation with you and this time I decided to dig out another 'older' Magnolia stamp.  I have so many beautiful and under appreciated older stamps, not just Magnolia's but other brands too and they don't see the light of day often enough.  I am sure I am not the only one guilty of this crime and I've decided that my older but no less gorgeous rubber stamps get an outing so this is me making a conscious effort to use all my stash.

Here is my card made using Magnolia Tilda with Butterfly Dress and she's so pretty.  She has been coloured up with copics to compliment the pretty papers and I've just added a few flowers and pearls to finish off.

Image:  Magnolia Tilda with Butterfly Dress

Sentiments:  LOTV

Medium:  copics

Papers:  Craft Sensations 'romantic fine art'

Flowers:  Wild Orchid Crafts

pearls and ribbon from stash

A little close up of her.  I do think she's one of my favourites, for now that is until I ink up the next one lol!!

Copic list

Face/Body:  E000, E11, E13

Clothes:  RV00, R81, R83, R85, R59/E41,E43, E44

Roses/Basket:  RV63, RV66/E41, E43, E47

Hair:  E41, E43, E44, E47, E49

Okay, so that's all from me today folks.  I'm in desperate need of a coffee and then it's time to colour up something else.

Take care and happy crafting.

Ann-Marie

xxx

Challenges:-

Crafty Friends challenge 116  -  use ribbon and/or lace

Love to Craft challenge #37  -  August anything goes

Crafting by Designs  -  anything goes

'Just saying hello' Polkadoodles Wk32 challenge

Good morning lovely crafty people.  A little pop in to my blog today to share with you my make for the new Polkadoodles Week 32 Challenge.

So this week the DT were challenged with making a project to 'just say hello' but as always the theme for you guys wishing to enter is 'Anything Goes' so no excuse not to pop across and share your lovely makes with us.

So for my card I was feeling kind of sparkly so out came the glitters lol!!  I decided to do something I'd been meaning to have a go at for ages ... I printed off onto acetate a pretty butterfly digi from the Lemonade Fizz kit and spent quite a while adding glue and pretty coloured glitters to all of the little sections on its wings. I then put it to one side to dry.  As it dried it went clear so all you can see in the end is the gorgeous sparkly colours.  I then flipped it over and darkened up the veins in its wings with a marker, bent the wings slightly and added a few gems.

I printed off the beautiful papers onto Ultimate Graphic paper and matted them onto black card to make it all pop, added a few faux stitching edges, a sentiment and finally a few gems and voila my card was done.  I'm just a little bit in love with this one it's so sparkly and pretty in real life my photography skills don't pick it up unfortunately lol!

Image:  printed from Polkadoodles 'Lemonade Fizz' download kit

Sentiment:  Polkadoodles Helga Hippo sentiments set

Papers:  Polkadoodles Winnie Celebrations 2 paper 1

printed on to Ultimate Graphic paper

A little bit of a close up of the butterfly.  You can just about make out how sparkly it is!!

Okay so I enjoyed making this card so much I think I may have to make a few more of these gorgeous butterflies.  There's also a couple of bee digi's and a dragonfly .... ooh imagine those in glitter  ...  yep that's definately on the 'to do' list now!!!

Right, that is all from me today folks.  I've got a not so nice work day ahead of me so I'll catch you on the flip side.

Take care and happy crafting.

Ann-Marie

xxx

Challenges:-

Simply Create Too  -  anything goes

Crafting with an Attitude No.54  -  anything goes

Creations in Pink No.12 -  anything goes 'mainly in pink'

Creative Moments No.174  -  anything goes

Simon Says Wednesday  -  use a die cut

Stamping Sensations  -  things with wings

'What to Wear' and some fab news!

Good morning my lovelies, I hope you are all well.

I have some exciting news to share with you today.  I have joined the fabulous CRAFTEEZEE design team.  I am honoured to be joining such a talented bunch of crafty individuals and a tad nervous too lol!

So with that said I would like to share with you my first DT make for the team.  I inked up the gorgeous All Dressed Up 'What to Wear'.  When I first saw this set of stamps what popped into my head was a picture of my daughter stood in front of her drawers taking ages deciding what clothes to wear which gave me the idea for my card.  I used kraft as a base and then prettied them up by adding some gorgeous Lemoncraft 'Sense & Sensibility' papers.  Ooh these are divine .. very strokeable!!  

I then thought I'd use some mirri card so it would look like she's stood in front of a mirror and used one of the accessory stamps, a chandelier, and stamped that on the mirror too.

A closer look at the gorgeous image.  Isn't she fab.  I coloured her up with my copics to compliment the pretty papers.  The sentiment also comes with her as does the little bag stamp which I coloured and cut out too.

Copics list

Face/Body:  E000, E11, E13

Hair:  E31, E35, E37, E29

Clothes/Bag:  B000, BG53, BG07, BG09/

B91, C1/Y11, Y15, Y17

Okay so that is all from me today.  All of the products can be found over in the Crafteezee store and all of the links to the products I've used are at the end of my post.

Take care and happy crafting.

Ann-Marie

xxx

Challenges:-

Crafty Creations  -  anything goes

All Dressed Up  -  anything goes

Crafting Happiness  -  shaped cards

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends  -  anything goes

Colour Crazy Challenge  -  anything goes

A bit more time to craft  -  anything goes

Classic Design Team Challenge  -  anything goes