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

'Story Teller'

Happy Saturday afternoon folks.  It's an absolutely gorgeous day here.  Hubby's cut the lawns and I've got the washing out and some chores done so now I get to pop in and share with you my latest creation.  

I sat and coloured a Sugar Nellie image the other day just for fun and decided to make it up into another frame this time for my other niece.  Really pleased with how it turned out.  I have added lots of Stickles on the flowers and wings, the papers also have glittered accents not that my terrible photography picks it up though, but it looks lovely in real life! 

Image:  Sugar Nellie 'Story Teller' digi

Medium:  copics

Papers:  old My Mind's Eye 'Penny Lane'

Cardstock:  Papermill Direct, Crafters Companion Centura Pearl

Flowers:  Wild Orchid Crafts

Ribbon:  The Ribbon Girl

Stickles 'Diamond' (on flowers/wings)

Pearls/twine from stash

Copics used

Face/Body:  E11, E50, E51, E21, R20

Hair:  E43, E47, E49

Clothes/Flowers:  R81, R83, R85, R39/BG70, BG72, BG75, BG78

Toadstools:  W1, W2, W3, W5, W7

Grass:  YG00, YG03, YG67

I would like to enter my frame into the following challenges:-

Creative Inspirations  -  Spring Spectacular

Allsorts Challenge:  Bring on the Bling (Diamond Stickles on flowers and wings)

Stamping Sensations  -  anything goes

Let's Craft and Create  -  Easter/April Showers/Spring

Okay that's all from me today.  I've got another image all printed out and ready to be coloured so I'm off for a little colouring therapy.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and get to enjoy a little craftiness.

Take care

Ann-Marie 

xx

A 'Little Bit of Gossip'

Good morning my crafty friends on this rather damp and dismal day down on the South coast.  It was beautiful yesterday so how can it be so blinking different today!

Anyway, I'm here to share with you my latest card which features the cutest little fairy digi from Sugar Nellie.  She is 'Little Bit of Gossip' and she's beautiful but she won't be around for ever as they are retiring her so if you like this little bit of cuteness you need to hop over to Funky Kits before she disappears. 

I used my First Edition 'Spring Drop' papers as my colour inspiration.  My colouring ended up a bit more bold than was planned .. I don't seem to do pastel well it always ends up a lot darker but hey I like it anyway.  I dug out my old Tim Holtz butterfly border die just to add a little bit of interest to the card shape and look no ribbon - that's a first but hey I did use twine!  

Image:  Sugar Nellie 'Little Bit of Gossip'

Sentiment:  LOTV 'Dreamy Days' circular sentiments

Medium:  copics

Papers:  First Edition 'Spring Drop'

Dies:  Whimsy 'Butterfly Frame', Tim Holtz butterfly border, Whimsy 'Corner' die set

Flowers:  Wild Orchid Crafts

Lace:  The Ribbon Girl

My usual close up piccie of the sweet image.  She's been coloured with copics and a little bit of sparkle.  I decided to have a go at the 'dotty' background and I'm quite pleased with the end result.

Copic List

Face/Body:  E50, E51, E21, E11

Hair:  E43, E47, E49

Clothes:  R81, R83, R85/BG11, BG13, BG15

Grass:  YG11, YG13, YG67

Challenges:

Creative Inspirations  -  Spring into Summer

The Sugar Bowl  -  Anything goes

Sweet Stampin  -  Lots of layers

The Ribbon Girl  -  June 'Card' challenge/anything goes

Stamping Sensations  -  Feature a Creature (ladybird & butterflies)

That's all from me today my lovelies.  Still have chores to do as I didn't get as much done as I wanted yesterday ... I blame the visitors we had not the fact that I kept stopping to craft ... that's my story anyway and I'm sticking to it!

Take care folks and happy crafting.

Ann-Marie 

xxx

Crystal Flakes

Hello folks and I hope you are all well on this rather chilly Wednesday.  I love this weather its all bright blue sky out there and crisp - beautiful.  

Anyway, just popping in quickly to share with you another one of my Christmas cards I have made and this time I inked up a sweet Sugar Nellie image called 'Crystal Flakes'.  I coloured her up using my copics and my colour palette was decided by my choice of papers.  I've been very good this year and not bought any new designer paper stock as I have stacks left from previous years and it seemed silly not to use it.  

I made my poinsettias using the Spellbinders 'Layered Poinsettia' die set and cut from plain white card and coloured with copics to match the image and then just added some Twinklets.

Image:  Sugar Nellie 'Crystal Flakes'

Medium:  copics

Papers:  My Mind's Eye 'Signature Christmas'

Dies:  Spellbinders 'Layered Poinsettia' and 'Floral Ovals', Memory Box 'Frosty Border

Finally a little close up, adorable isn't she and definitely one of my favourite Christmas images.

Copic List

Face/Body:  E000, E11, E13, R30

Hair:  E43, E47, E49

Clothes:  BG0000, BG000, BG01, BG05, BG07, BG09 + W7/ 

W00, W0, W1, W2, W3, W5, W7

Challenges I would like to enter:-

The Sugar Bowl  -  anything goes

Simon Says Stamp  -  bling it on

Sweet Stampin  -  things with wings

Sketchy Colours  -  fab sketch

The Ribbon Girl  -  anything goes

Noor Design UK  -  Merry Christmas

Okay so must dash folks still have my Christmas tree to put up, gosh I'm so late with it this year it's usually by now.

Take care.

Ann-Marie 

xxx

Young Love

Hi folks, I hope you are all well and having a good week.  Sorry if I haven't been around that much but we have had a busy week this week.  I mentioned a few weeks back that our son didn't get into his first preference secondary school for this September so we have gone down the appeals route.  We had an appeal hearing on Tuesday which lasted hours but the panel decided the school had a strong enough case for not accepting us (and at least 15 other children) so we have now gone to stage two which means individual hearings in front of the panel and ours is tomorrow.  I must admit I feel a little daunted and completely out of my depth to say the least.  When we had the first hearing we were all in this room together and you could see some of these parents had hired people to help them but at at least £750 upwards for this advice we couldn't afford this so we have been doing our own research but I feel like we're a step behind before we've even had our meeting.  Well come Friday afternoon we will know one way or the other!

 

Right enough of listening to my woes I'll move onto a topic far more pleasant.  He's some piccies of my latest card which has taken me days to finish.  I've used a real sweetie by Sugar Nellie called 'Young Love' and coloured them with promarkers. 

 

Image:  Sugar Nellie 'Young Love'

Medium:  Promarkers

Papers:  K & Company 'Classic K Bailey' (very old)

Flowers:  Wild Orchid Crafts

Dies:  Magnolia Doohickey

punched corners using an old Fiskars 4 corners in 1 punch

 

Okay last piccie is my usual close up of the adorable image.

Promarkers Used:

Skirt/trousers:  vanilla, oatmeal, ginger, burnt orange, burnt umber

Blouse:  ivory

Jumper:  tea green, soft green, grey green

Hair/shoes:  sandstone, umber

 

Challenges I would like to enter:-

 

Sketch Saturday  -  great sketch

 

Simon Says Stamp  -  anything goes

 

Allsorts Challenge  -  a passion for flowers

 

The Sugar Bowl  -  anything goes (with a Sugar Nellie image)

 

Okay time for me to go its late and I would like to not have dark circles under my eyes or yawn at our appeal tomorrow so I shall bid you goodnight.  Don't think I'll be able to sleep well as my tummy is doing somersaults now just thinking about it.  I don't think we stand much chance I'm afraid as I've heard they only really get overturned on medical or legal grounds and we don't have either but I'll never forgive myself if we don't try.

 

Take care folks and I will do my best to catch up with you soon.

 

Take care,

Ann-Marie

xxx 

Rope Swing

Happy Sunday to you folks, I hope you have been enjoying your weekend ours has been fairly quiet but lovely.

 

Right onto my card.  I decided to make an easel card for a change its been a long time since I made one and I dug out an old Sugar Nellie image called 'Rope Swing' by Elisabeth Bell.  Sometimes I forget I have such beautiful older stamps with all the new ones coming out.  I decided to have another go at colouring on kraft with my Prismas again.

 

Image:  Sugar Nellie 'Rope Swing'

Medium:  Prismacolor pencils blended with sansador

Papers:  Prima 'Sun Kiss'

Dies:  Tim Holtz on the Edge, Magnolia Doohickey 'vintage daisies',

'vintage tag' & 'dragonflies', Cheery Lynn 'fanciful flourish'

Roses:  Wild Orchid Crafts

 

Everything was distressed with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain distress ink.  I'd forgotten how hard easel cards are to photograph.  My camera seems to have made the colours a bit paler as well they're deeper IRL.

 

A close up of the cutiepie image.  I so love my vintage daisy die at the moment it makes fab flowers.

 

Challenges I would like to enter:-

 

The Sketchy Challenges  - great sketch

 

The Sugar Bowl  -  anything goes (as long as you use a SN image)

 

Cupcake Craft Challenges  -  get your kraft on (colouring on kraft)

 

The Pretty Little Ribbon Shop  -  Spring is in the air

 

Papertake Weekly  -  anything goes

 

Sweet Stampin  -  look at the scallops

 

The Ribbon Girl - add flowers

 

Joanna Sheen  -  spring into Spring

 

Right best dash loads of washing to catch up on which ultimately means more ironing, yuk!!!

 

Take care and happy crafting everyone.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

 

 

If you don't believe, you won't receive!!!

Just stopping by today to say a very quick hi to you all and to pop on my card that I made for The Sugar Bowl challenge.  Yes I've left it very late again but I'm sliding in at the very last minute!

 

I won't beat around the bush today, so here it is:-

 

When I was a rummaging among my stamps I came across this little fella and would you believe he had never been inked up.  Yes I know terrible isnt it and he's such a cutie pie too and lovely to colour.  He's been coloured with distress markers and the papers are old Papermania ones although I seem to have covered most of them up! 

 

The normal close up.

 

Okay not much waffle from me today, I've got conservatory windows to be cleaning before the decs go up at the weekend.  Yes I'm nutty but every year my windows and all those other niggling little jobs like skirting boards etc have to be cleaned before I will even entertain putting them up!

 

All being well I should be back soon.  Take care folks and happy crafting.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

Knitted with Love

Hi guys I hope you are having a good start to the week.  I know I know you probably didn't expect to see me back for a day or two but I made a card for The Sugar Bowl challenge and I was determined not to leave it till the very last minute to enter this time, so here it is.

 

I used the adorable 'Knitted with Love' stamp and she can be found here coloured with copics.  Used the fab sketch at The Sugar Bowl and kinda followed the optional colour scheme.

 

My Martha Stewart branch punch got a major working out and I layered it up around the image.

 

Lastly a close up of the sweet image.

 

Okay folks so now I'm sat in my little crafty abode thinking I want to colour up another image but really need to get the hoover out.   I wonder how quickly I can whip round and make the  place presentable, one dose of speed cleaning coming right up!!!!

 

Take care.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

A blue blue Christmas !!!!

I think that was an Elvis song wasn't it but its stuck in my head now so no doubt I'll be humming it all blinking day!

 

Well I hope your week has been going well so far.  Not long and it will be the weekend and its half term next week so no making up of lunch boxes yeh!!! Its not a hard job but its one I really dislike daft really isnt it.  I'm hoping the weather stays fairly dry so we can have leisurely walks in the crispy leaves and go hunting for pine cones to decorate for Christmas.

 

Anyway, I have a Sugar Nellie card to share with you today and as the title suggests its a blue one.

 

Its such a sweet image and she's been coloured with copics.  Her wings have been stickled and the fur trims have been flocked again.  The two large snowflakes are a Marianne Design die and I glued and covered them in Twinlets.  The silver ones are just from stash.

 

 

A bit of a side view.  The papers are really old from a Hot off the Press pad.  I've used my Martha Stewart big border punch which has lovely scroll hearts but I've just realised I've ended up covering most of it up!

 

A little close up of the image and you can just see the Twinklets on the snowflakes it really adds great texture.

 

Challenges I would like to enter

 

The Sugar Bowl  -  Fab sketch + optional extra WET WET WET

 

ABC Christmas Challenge  -  U up to you

 

Crafty Ribbons  -  Christmas

 

Stampalot Challenge  -  Punches

 

It's my little girl's 7th birthday tomorrow so I'm off now to do some wrapping up.  We've got her a Karaoke machine as she's always singing and dancing - it remains to be seen whether that was a really good idea!!!!!!

 

Take care folks and catch up with you soon.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

Sweet Sugar Nellie fairy

Hi folks I hope you are all having a fabby weekend so far.  Well I'm a happy bunny as I've had my first cuddle of my sisters little one and she's oh so cute certainly didn't want to hand her back!  She's been passed around all weekend bless her and not a peep from her either she's so content.  My sister went with Elsie Rose for the name and it kinda suits her actually.  I think I may have my first babysitting duty in a few weeks as they have a wedding reception to attend and it will be overnight as well, so cannot wait!!

Anyway, enough ramblings popped on to show you another Christmas card that makes a total of four so far - stacking up aren't they NOT!! 

 

I've used another of my stamps from Sugar Nellie called 'Wish upon a star' and she's so darn cute.  I was a little worried about colouring the skirt but it turns out its really easy to do.  I've used my copics to colour her for a change.  I used the great sketch from over on The Sugar Bowl with the added option of 'worn turquoise' colour scheme.  The papers used were 'Snowed in' by My Mind's Eye and I couldn't decide whether they were really turquoise or not but went with them anyway.  However, by the time I'd 'dirtied' them up a bit with some walnut stain distress ink and coloured the image in it doesn't really look very turquoise at all, but hey I like it anyway and at least I followed the sketch!

 

A bit of a side view and you can see the inside is decorated to compliment the front.  Its all been Stickled and the flower is made up of a mixture of a Papermania fabic flower, a couple of paper ones I had in my stash and finished off with a rose from WOC.

 

My last piccie is a close up of the gorgeous stamp, isn't she a cutie.

 

Challenges I would like to enter:-

 

My Mum's Craft Shop  -  Stars

 

Simon Says Stamp  -  Anything goes

 

The Sugar Bowl  -  Fab sketch (added option of worn turquoise colour scheme)

 

Right, thats all from me for now.  The kiddiewinkles are on the Wii at the moment so I'm going to sneak in a little colouring, that is until the arguing starts!!!!  Hope you all manage to squeeze in a little of what makes you happy.

 

Take care,

 

Ann-Marie

xxx

 

All twinkled out!

 

Yes I've discovered Twinklets (I know where have I been) well infact I bought these last year and hardly used them I don't know why as they're fab and look so effective and add great texture to your Chrimbly cards. 

 

Well I hope you're having a good week so far.  Its rather wet and blustery here today so no intention of venturing out until I pick the kiddies up (unless I can talk hubby into doing it!!!!).  He's working at home today and I never seem to get much done when he's at home.

 

We were woken up at 6 a.m. this morning by my sister phoning from the hospital to say she'd just had her little girl weighing in at a healthy 7lb and they're both doing fine.  I'm so excited can't wait to see them but I shall give her some breathing space before we descend on them.

 

Okay back to my card.  Once again I made this following a fab sketch over at The Sugar Bowl but never made the deadline but here it is anyway.  I'm using kraft again to mat everything - just love it.

 

 

The image is such a sweetie from Sugar Nellie coloured with Distress Markers and lots of Stickles.  Papers are a download from Nitwits called Heavenly which have been distressed with walnut stain distress ink.  The trees are a die from Marianne Design and I added Tim Holtz crackle paint and when that was dry some glue and Twinklets.  Not sure where the sentiment is from its a diecut I found on my rummage and I just added a little charm to it. 

  

 

A close up of the image and you can just see the trees too.  I was so pleased with how the image turned out.  I'm still learning with the distress markers but no doubt I'll get there eventually, at least it didn't end up in the bin!. 

 

Another close up this time of the little cones my kiddiewinkles helped me collect when we went on a little jaunt the other week.  I've crackled them again with the Tim Holtz paint and dunked them in Twinklets.  Love how they've turned out and I can see me using the Twinklets as much as I do Stickles.  The little berries started out life as red ones but I crackled them and then used some silver rub on and then went over with a little pink.

 

Okay no more waffle from me.  Someone told me yesterday that its 91 days til Christmas well now thats just put me in panic mode so after my two little ones birthdays in October YES both in one month what was I thinking, its gonna be head down and cracking on with Chrimbo projects.

 

Challenges I would like to enter:-

 

Bunny Zoe's  -  distressing

 

Sweet Stampin  -  how charming (use a charm)

 

Catch up with you later folks, take care and happy crafting.

 

Ann-Marie

xxx