Gingerbread Boy

Did you think I forgot, well I did nearly, it was while at my Sis house I realised I haven't shown my sneak peek of the new release from High Hopes. Lucky for me I had uploaded the pic in a draft post and I'm able to write this post on the really slow PC of my Sis.
I have to confess I've never coloured a Gingerbread boy or at least I can't remember colouring one but don't tell the PB mice that I've used their colours.
I also used a pearl white viva pen for the icing but I need a steady hand. The banner is so useful and you can stamp various sentiments inside.
My papers are Glitz and those swirls are Magnolia, I pulled out the insides of the poinsettia and used pearl brads inside to match the pearl icing.
Now don't forget to check out the fabulous Design Team sneak peeks and if you can't wait for the Blog Hop to win some of the new stamps check out the blog to see how you win some.

James and the Sketch

It's definitely going to be LOTV Christmas and even though I haven't brought all of the new Christmas stamps I've brought quite a few. This one is on the Christmas plate with three others and lots of sentiments which you can buy now from Simon Says Stamps.
So today is Tuesday and that means its Everybody Art Challenge which this week is a fab sketch, I love working with sketches and this weeks one is brilliant.
Again I seemed to have a problem putting the stickles bottle down, those MS snowflakes just need to be sparkly and I've used my snowflake border punch as well and that needed to be stickled too.
I love the Craftwork Cards oval sentiments but I've nearly run out and I can't find any printed in black they're all silver or gold.
James fluffy hat is made using a mixture of flower soft and fun flock and the papers are Dovecraft I think.

Holly and Hedgie

Is it just me but are the sketches lately gettin harder, this one is Friday Sketchers and it was only when I decided to do a C6 (I think thats what they called) did everything fall into place and was one of the quickest cards I've made recently.
And for an added bonus it fits through the small letter post what a result.
Of course the little chap is a Penny Black, the papers Imaginesce and I've made one of those fiddy flat bows.
The holly is sizzilit die and it actually has a right side up which is a pain when you've used silicone glue which goes everywhere when you try to turn the holly you've glued upside down and you prompty push you glasses up your nose to discover you can't see for huge blob of silicone smeared over the lens of your brand new glasses and all you can see is the pound signs of new ones if that mess dries.
Lucky for me I managed to get it off with no damage gosh that could've affected my craft spending for the next few months.

Pumpkin Bear

I've had such fun playing with the new High Hopes Laurie Furnell release and today we're allowed to show some sneak peeks.  It's been great making the cards there is quite a few halloween stamps but that means I could use my dripping goo border punch and the cuttlebug web embossing folder. Even my cricut has had a look in with bats and spiders all finishes with googly eyes.
The new stamps are a joy to colour and there's loads of matching sentiments but my favourite is this one. The papers are a download from Sweet Shoppe Designs called Spooky I had to use it again even though I do have the Echo Park Papers for Halloween I haven't been able to cut into it.

Do you want to win some of these brand new stamps then check out the High Hopes Blog and follow the instructions.
Check out the rest of the Design Team  they're all showing sneak peeks too.

Off to do some shopping today and to buy some dollars ready for The Holiday.

A touch of Purple

The sketch over on Just Magnolia this weekend gave me a bit of a headache. I had a Tilda all ready to be used and when I saw the sketch I wasn't sure I could make it work.
In the end I just went with the flow, once I put the border strips down, it was a case of it shouting trellis to me so I had to add flowers. I decided the top part of the sketch worked better at the bottom. You will be seeing a lot of the paper it's from Kaiser and I love the colour combo at the moment.
Not sure on the black hair, I think it could do with some more dark shadowing.
In the end I pleased with my end result and its definitely growing on me.
I've had to put my heater back in my room since it was feeling cold and damp not good when you're storing paper and cardstock.
Nearly forgot I was given this award from Kathleen, many thanks.

Summer Loving

The challenge this week on Penny Black Saturday Challenge is Summer Loving, so in my eyes you need a couple in my case mice and the flower of summer is roses.
So I've chosen my stamp and then I chose the pattern rose paper which because my image is so large you can't actually see it and it was then my problems began because the papers were grungy.
First off I had to tone down the white, so out came the blending tool with the distress inkpads ( they're coming out of the drawer far too often for my liking).
I didn't have any roses the colour of the rose I had coloured so I had to use white and distress then a bit so they're weren't so white against the paper.
Bits of greenery, ribbon and a few pears, card finished.

 Just a quick close up of my rose.

Do join us this week there's a prize from PB Stamps 15% for life off and some fabby buttons from Fantastic Ribbons and don't forget to check out the DT with their gorgeous creations too.

High Hopes News

High Hopes Stamps welcomes Laurie Furnell to their family of artists and to celebrate they have the most amazing new release to stamps that just cried out for a blog hop on September 1st.
The DT are offering sneaky peeks from Monday the 30th.
If you fancy some of these wonderful stamps pop over to the High Hopes Blog to see how you can win some.

James and the Giant Cracker

This really was a case put the stickles down and stand away from the card, I guess I knew I went OTT with them when I started to glitter the embossed dots.
This cute bear is James from LOTV and their challenge this week is for circles and dots, I think I got that covered.
The sketch is from this weeks Sketch Saturday, did cause me a bit of a headache but once I put the MS icicle border on and finished with the pretend brads I felt the corners look better.
The papers are Imaginesce, which are full of traditional colous and its all finished with some MS snowflakes and loads of glitter.

Mrs Hoot

Here's what was on my desk yesterday, Mrs Hoot from Pink Gem Designs, I've also used the recipe on A Spoonful of Sugar for 3 flowers, 2 buttons and 1 ribbon. I'm not counting the flowers on my images cos they're a part of the image.
The yummy papers are the new Cosmo Cricket Pixie-licious how can anything called something so cute not be gorgeous, so don't be surprised not to see these papers again.
I found the teeny tiny buttons in my stash I can't believe how sad I am, that something so tiny still had to be threaded.
Halloween seems to influencing my card making me give Mrs Hoot  googly eyes.
Janet has some fab new stamps arrived in her shop, loving all the penquins.

Ho Ho Ho

I've really enjoyed being a guest on Cute Card Thursday and this week will be my last and the challenge is from Fran, her challenge is for No dies or Punches what was she thinking.
The image I first chose I imediately went to my nestabilities and its while holding them I realise she means these too.
So I choose this High Hopes Father Christmas who would be quite happy to be cut into a rectangle and it was down to last years Poinsettias I brought and some ribbon of course you could also use lace but I thought the ribbon was enough.
I didn't layer Santa's sack because I still trying to think of the thin letter slot and then I promptly stuck a bow on the card and the poinsettias have bobbles inside them which means its now a large letter.
I can see clearly now, it now someone has washed the world, you think I've gone crazy. No not crazy just got my new glasses!!!

Awards and WOYWW

Before there's a campaign to Save Pooh Bear he's photo evidence thats he safe and sound on the windowsill with his mates. In fact my Sisters made a point to tell me that they are all together.

Chaos reigns in my craftroom, lots of cards to be made on my notebook list, yes I've had to make a list cos I was losing the plot trying to work out which cards for which challenge for which week including the days I'm away so at the moment I have a day to day planner.
So this is whats on my workdesk on wednesday.
Could that be some new papers from Cosmo cricket on my desk and does that look like a Pink Gem Designs guess you will have to wait till tomorrow.

Over the last few days I've been lucky to received a couple of fab awards from several bloggers. This one are from Jules, Jennifer and Sylvie many thanks guys.

Aso this one is from Mags and Brenda many thanks too.

You have to show your favourite picture, since its so rare to have a pic with all my brothers and my sister, also my Mum and Dad this will be the one.

Tartan Tilda

Tilda's are perfect for paper piecing but my favourite is 50's Tilda, I love all her petticoats. Since this is Wednesday this is the challenge for Simon Says Stamps Challenge. I've tartan looking paper is Olivia from Basic Grey but the dark aqua paper is Kaiser. I embossed the Oval with the swirl from the Cuttlebug and used a MS punch to make the frill round it.
I've used the magnolia swirl die again with EK success flowers.
Simon Says Stamps has a huge selection of Magnolia stamps including the one I've used and Martha Stewart punches. So you won't have any problems if you win the fabulous voucher.

Not much is happening here, I'm busy with some gorgeous new stamps but I'm afraid no peeking till next week.

On the High Seas

Everybody Art Challenge today is for Sea or Beach so it gave me a chance to use this fabulous boat stamp from High Hopes. Of course I've 3d it and love how the sails look like they're blowing in a gentle breeze.
The papers are Kaiser and since I stamp on white card I got out the Distress Inkpad and blending tool to edge the bright white card stock to tone it with the papers.
I have some cream flowersoft which I used on the waves and then sprinkled fun flock to fill the gaps. The childrens cuttlebug die of the cross bones is used once again and I added another one of those fab charms I got from Simon Says Stamps.
I didn't want to put much more on since I reckon this will work for a mans card.
I forgotten why I like the football season it means I get to play in my craftroom in the evening.

Christmas Sparkle

Edited post slightly better photo.
First of all a huge apology for the photo, it is so dark here in the South East, I will try to take another one later.
My card for today is for the LOTV challenge which is a fab sketch from Bev. I have to confess the papers are papermania but there was a penquin on the bottom that got chopped off. Luckily once you made you imag  this card needed very little else, just a bit of ribbon and snowflakes but it was a pain waiting for different things to dry.
First I stickled the snowflakes so I had to wait for them to dry before I could use the flowersoft and funflock on her hat and scarf, then I had to wait for the holly to dry before I could take a picture by which time is was dark and now the weather is so foul I think will be unlikely another one will be taken today.

Sketch and Sentiments

There is a brilliant and what I thought really easy sketch on Friday Sketchers but I spent ages just moving papers, I think my problem was the circle, first I tried a doily but it was the wrong sort of white. Then I cut a circle but it was too large, too small, wrong colour, boring, didn't like it and its about to go in the bin.
Eventually I decided on making dots go round in a circle and even though I not sure it doesn't make me want to bin it.
Over on Just Magnolia they want to see sentiments on your card and I found this one online and printed it out. Thought it would be perfect to the Waving Tilda and with the Delovely papers that I love, I beginning to like it.
Just finished with some Cherry Blossom flowers, punched leaves and some MS butterflies job done.

Xmas Lists

Running late this morning but my breakfast was ready and I didn't want my scrambled eggs on toast get cold, one of the good things at being at my Sis is that she feeds me.

So this mornings challenge is for High Hopes Challenge and its Anything but a card, I've already made a DVD case and making boxes gives me huge headaches since I can only make bottoms of boxes because the lids never fit. So since I'm getting older and I seemed to have to write lists to remind myself of stuff and decorated a notebook ready for all my Christmas lists.

I've used My Minds Eye papers and the cutest High Hopes Snowman and of course you can't have a snowman without snowflakes.

Don't forget to check out the team.

Busy Saturday

My bags are packed and soon my friend will come and pick me up for another day of Christmas card making and after the failure last time, I'm just going to colour Christmas images so be warned there will be lots of Christmas cards on my blog in the future.
So make the most of this sweet PB bear and the lovely Imaginesce paper, of course I will probably use this fab sketch from Domi for Penny Black Saturday Challenge. My ribbon is actually the card stock, along with my pretend brads, finished with EK sucess flower punches.
This weeks prize is  from Butterfly Kisses and Valentines do hope you check the DT and join in.
Waves to my BIL who just rang me to ask where todays bloggy blog post is!!!!!!!!!!

Snowball Friday

I promise this card looks better in RL the camera has done odd thing with the poinsettias and the claret swirl. I used the Stamp with Fun sketch and also A Spoonful of Sugar challenge is for Christmas in August.
The papers are the new Dovecraft  and of course the little chap is from WOJ, just a touch of my Flower Soft and Fun Flock for my snowballs to finish.
I've got quite a few Christmas images coloured and was going to make another card yesterday but what started as a good day ended up with a nasty headache luckily for me there's no sign of it this morning.
There will be quite a few Christmas cards on my blog cos my Sis is doing another Christmas Card Saturday but after my failure last time I'm just taking my pencils and plan to colour Christmas images.
On a more happier note I popped over my Sis the other night and I apologise for not having my camera but to all the WOYWW who are worried about Pooh Bear he has been safely removed from the rotary cutter.

Thank you Jenny for my lovely award too.

Posh and Becks

When I saw these WOJ stamps, the first thought I had was Posh and Becks, I also thought they would make a more trendy engagement card too so thats was why they fell into my shopping basket. When Fran sent me her sketch for Cute Card Thursday I knew I had to use them.
The papers are a mixture of two companies but I've lost the company strip, yes I've used the Magnolia swirl its going to be worn out soon since I can't stop using it along with my poor retro/funky flower punch which is struggling to punch cleanly. The borders are Martha Stewart and leaves Leone-em, I did sneak in an extra flower but you won't tell.
Well I have one more week as a Guest on Cute Card Thursday, doesn't time fly.

WOYWW 63

While staying at my Sis I just happened to have my camera with me and while she was busy I took some sneaky pics of her craftroom for WOYWW.
Her desktop is looking very similar to mine and whats poor Pooh bear doing on the rotary cutter.
Now she has retired shes been trying to have a good sort out of her room, from this picture I don't know where.

This is where she sorted out a lot, there was heaps stuff here, now look at the punches in a row.

Here's Sis's recycling, her Hubby found these cabinets they were being throw out now they house my Sis stamp collection.