Sailing

So I was being really careful trying to use only Stampin Up products so that when my friend does another Open day this could be in the selection of my cards. When I nearly finished I realised I'm actually making it to give it to someones Birthday on tomorrow and it didn't matter what product I used, doh.
Anyway I was using Freshly Made Sketch I was very honoured last week to get mentioned with my Peek a Boo cat.
As I mentioned I needed a reasonable quick card so I chose the Sailing Boat from Stampin Up and can't see that well but I dusted some clouds. I then used the cloud and striped embossing folders and a strip of pattern paper and laid them out like the sketch.
The sentiment is bitty banners but I used the dies to draw round so I had a matching mat. Thats pretty match it, insert will be going in today and Hubby will have to drop it in some time today.
Not sure what I will get done today, Hubby is home and I never seemed to get on cos I keep getting interrupted but I definitely have to make a card one that I can't show till after Sat although the celebration is today. Congratulations to my brother and his wife who are celebrating 40years of marriage.

Cat on the Moon

Last week we had a baby girl Penny Black so this week we have a boys. The Cat on the Moon by Penny Black I generally use for a baby boy although I see I've had a senior moment and forgotten to sprinkle the moon in glamour dust another job for today.
Now I started with a sketch but it went by the wayside when I realise that my embossing folder Bricked by Tim Holtz didn't match up so the join is under the ribbon and lace.
Just some gingham fishtail banner and a few daisies well you can for a baby card and LOTV sentiment.
So who else thought yesterday was Saturday I confess to checking the new LIM challenge which isn't till today and DD thought she would catch a bus into town last night to discover the hourly one finished at five.

Wellies

Its always a mistake making a Mans card but I think this one is growing on me. First of all this is a sketch from Sketch Saturday.
I had to get some gardening images for a card I made for a workmate for Hubby whose retiring, card will be published when received. So I wanted male images with a gardening theme well I had to have the boots from Just Inklinked.
The papers are American Craft Boho Garden and the embossing folder is Stamping Up with some of the hexagon cut out to place randomly on them. My only wish now is that I had used one colour but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Not sure when I will see Hubby this weekend he's helping BIL so the plan is to make cards with the hope I will have some in reserved for bad days and will feel less stressed. Also I have at least two cards to make which can't be publish till after the 6th April so that will help.

Granny Square

I can crochet my sister showed me how when I was ten but my problem I don't actually know what I'm doing!
What I mean I can't follow a pattern because I don't know what my stitches are called. So I think I need a book for beginners to work out what exactly I'm doing.
But squares no problem and I've recently found out that squares like these are called Granny squares. This another project I've finished and I've started another in purples, my DD favourite colours.
Although I did try to work from a pattern and totally lost it when trying to work out how to do a cluster, well its now several square too late to work it out but I'm happy how they're turning out.
It will be another year before it will actually get finish but for now its a welcome change from cross-stitch.

Beads

I have beads somewhere in my craftroom not sure where cos I don't use them that often and it a bit chilly in my room for a extended search. I do know where I have a couple of packets of Accent Beads.

You may be wondering why I need beads, well its the challenge on Less is More and I afraid light bulb moments are not happening and I'm not sure if my card turned out less is more but I'm going to enter and hope for the best

So I've used a couple of Stampin Up embossing folders, the hexagon and the straight lines and also the Memory box Pearl Lace die.

I had to try and make a sort of Sunflower because the accent beads I have are a brown mix and it was the only flower I could think of that had a brown centre. To make the flower I used the Aster die from Memory Box but the Kraft centre is actually the retired Sizzix Daisy die but just using the tiny one. The sentiment is again StampinUp.

I've just discovered Memory Box is going to release some more new dies and things are tight at the moment so I have to choose from needing some more card or new dies. Not much point making cards if don't have any card!

Anything Goes

Time for new challenge on Simon Says Stamp Challenge 

 and this week its

Anything Goes
The team is also using Avery Elle and Mama Elephant products but thats not a requirement for the challenge just the DT chance to show what amazing products Simon Says Stamps have in their store.

Now I'll be honest cos you can tell if I not but these are stamp companies are not the first ones I look for and they don't really suit my OTT cards and for some reason a CAS card feels like cheating!

But I certainly up for the challenge not sure I've ticked the boxes but the Avery Elle Hipster Hippopotamus is cute and decided to make a male and female card.

So with some Prima Sunny Days papers I paper pieced my Hippo and used the paper for the strip along the bottom. The scallop is Pearl Lace from Memory box and once put together with the sentiment it looked a bit plain. So added the hearts from Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Holiday Shapes dies on a bit of twine.

For the male card I again paper pieced my Hippo this time with the papers from Bo Bunny Surprise collection and I also used them for my fish tail banners. The strip down the side is using the Chainlink die from Simon says Stamp Exclusives it was a bit of experiment but now looking at it I'm have a bit of light bulb idea of using it and backing it with acetate may have to give that a go.

Now you know the drill to win the chance of this fabulous prize you have to enter the challenge with a new card no backlinking and you need to enter your post using the linky thing on the challenge blog. Also you need to link to the challenge in your post or you won't be eligible for the prize.

Bella Christmas

So while we are waiting till 2pm for the new Simon Says Stamps Challenge here's a couple of CAS cards ready for Christmas.  I had decided on the Stampin Bella girl and papers ages ago and then didn't get round to using them but decided to quickly club the papers and image together.

Very simply done just found some sentiments and then drew wriggly lines round the card. One little trick is I marked the corners with a pencil so you get an wriggly square. Just added some flowersoft and fun flock for the furry edges of her coat.

Ok this looks crooked but its not just the crooked photographer strikes again.

Fairies

Well has we race to the end of March and hopefully to a warmer April its time for another challenge on Everybody Art which is for Fairies and the only problem I had was which Fairy to use. I immediately check out all of Mo Manning's cos I absolutely love her fairies. 

So this little sweetheart is called Spring Fairy Aleta and hopefully she will be bringing Spring to us but not before Friday if the weather fairies are to be believed.

The sketch is from Sketchy Challenge and since my fairy is quite large there wasn't much room for embellishments but I did manage to make a cluster on one side.

They are all Memory Box die except the Meadow Rue die from Simon Says Stamps which has also had white flowers pieced on its stems them glamour dusted like Aleta wings.

Do hope you can join us this week and do pop over to check out the team.

I know it sounds like we've all jumped ship because we don't know what Google are doing with the dashboard but I actually like Bloglovin. It imported all my blogs I follow which was scary cos I found out how many I actually followed and once loaded I marked them all read so I knew the next day I would be starting from scratch. I even managed to add a blog by going into the top right hand corner and went into following. You do have to remember to click the pic of the blog before adding.

Peek a Boo

When I saw the sketch on Freshly Made Sketch I immediately thought of a LOTV bear riding a hot air balloon but I've searched all my boxes and its disappeared I know I have it cos I've got a card posted of it.
So I a bit peeved I couldn't make the card but while going through a pile of images that I've stamped and not used I found some High Hopes images that I knew would work and was quick to colour.
And that how this card was.
The papers are scraps left from a Doodlbug pack, the border is from Memory box and I used a spellbinder to get the frame round the circle.
Wasn't in best moods yesterday my room was freezing and in the end I've moved out again into the dining room. I'm staying there till July!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fairy Needle

I really struggled to make this card but I absolutely adore Mo's new Baby Fairy called Fairy Needle which I had to get straight away so it isn't her fault but mine.
I think my problem was I had to add one of my cross-stitch bobbins but it is obviously not white but you can't tell with the pic cos for once the camera hasn't pick that up. Also not sure about the decorative pin and went to take it out and it had stuck fast behind the MFT daisies.
I have use the delicate fern from Memory box along with the leaves and you know that border round my circle is my favourite crochet border from MFT.
I need to get my act together on the card making front since I've spent most of the time finishing yet another project this time crocheting granny squares together and brought some wool to make another.

Baby Hedgie

Whoops overslept a bit this morning but considering I've had a run of bad nights it wasn't surprising but this little Hegie was waiting to be published. Of course since its Saturday its a Penny Black image and its called Baby Hammock or there's another PB similar called Nap Time which I love the large daisies but I don't have it in my collection.
The papers are LOTV and I'm not sure where I got the sketch from. The daisies I'm not sure whether they are punches or dies but if it is punches it was the final time that I used the large one. The swirls are MFT and the sentiment is again LOTV. For a change I've used the doily border from Martha Stewart and the corner are quickcutz.
Well the weathermen have got it wrong again we should have rain this morning and its definititly white hopefully it will not be much cos we are picking up DD from Gatwick!

Wee Couple

I have no idea why I chose these papers from Prima but it would have taken ages to find some more so I went with them and surprised how well the card turned out.
The sketch is from Sketch Saturday and you can just about see the doily underneather everything. The image is from the talented Sylvia Zet and once it was all layered you can just about see all the glitter on her gown.
I've used the leafy branch from Memory Box and the flowers are the small woodware punch. Just as well I only need the small one cos the larger one which is yellow by the way after many years of service has died on me and ended up in the bin.
It will be interesting to see if I manage to stay in my craft room this weekend cos once again the wintry weather is back. But hopefully this will be the last winter/spring I will have this problem, we're going to raid  the savings my hubby has put away for his retirement to insulate the outhouse and turn it into a toilet and shower room. Lucky for me there's a space left that an estate agent would call a utility room but I shall be calling it my Craftroom. I can't quite visualise how big but it certainly isn't any smaller than what I've already got.

Gingham Blog Hop

It's time for another Blog Hop with Mo's Dream Team and this month's theme is from Heidy who wants to see Gingham/Plaid

Once I realised that the papers I had choosen for Baby Fairy Flora had gingham patchwork diamonds I knew I had to make her into a card for the Blog Hop. I just added some more Pink gingham for the ribbon strip and the bunting.

I've also used the CLP sketch for this month and everything seemed to fall into place.

I added sparkly white stickers to the bunting which shows up fine in RL but now when I took a photo so here's a close up of the bunting.

So you should of arrived from Julie and I'm the end of the hop so if you've commented on everyone's post you job is done and you're are in for a chance of winning $5 to spend in Mo's store.
But if you've got lost why not pop over to the Dream Team Blog and start from the beginning.

Simon Says Stamp says Spring

Time for new challenge on Simon Says Stamp Challenge 

 and this week its

Easter or Spring
The team is also using Memory Box products but thats not a requirement for the challenge just the DT chance to show what amazing products Simon Says Stamps have in their store.

I think I should of put the dies down and stepped away from the card cos it got really busy looking. The papers to start with are True Friends from Echo Park and the image is from MFT called Springtime Wishes.

Along the bottom I used Memory Box Spring Border, I used it twice and cut out the flowers heads. I did the same thing for the Meadow Rue from Simon Says Stamp Exclusive die.

The circle mat is edged with MFT Crochet border cos you know thats my favourite and for the sentiment I used the Always Die and stamp set again from Simon Says Stamp Exclusive.

I wanted to finish there but the plain corners were just that plain so I used the Leafy Branch from Memory box and deciding that maybe there would be too much yellow I used pink punched flowers.

Now you know the drill to win the chance of this fabulous prize you have to enter the challenge with a new card no backlinking and you need to enter your post using the linky thing on the challenge blog. Also you need to link to the challenge in your post or you won't be eligible for the prize.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Wanting bloglovin to recognise this is my blog which why I've had to make this post.

Penny Farthing

While we wait till 1 pm apparently the clocks have sprung forward in the US but we still have couple weeks before we catch up, a card. I'm still thinking framed cards for Less is More but not sure I get away with this one.
I'm a bit annoyed the paper is a woodgrain sheet but it looks like its got patches of yellow on it, not sure what my camera was on!
Again I've cut out the centre of the Spellbinders to make my frame and the only thing I did with the Penny Farthing die from Memory box is to punch out 1/4 circles for the wheels middles.
Then I just used the French Foliage and leaves from Memory Box and Bella Bloom from Simon Says Stamp exclusive dies.
Not sure I like maybe I shall stick to white cards.

Frame it

So just a quick post with my Less is More card and that pretty much what it is. The frame is a Spellbinders and some cutting out the centre panel. Which I then use a stencil and some blue ink to make some clouds its a bit more obvious in real life.
The tulips are a Memory box die which I also cut in some yellow card to layer, couple leaves and ribbon to finish.
In reality I would like to have embossed the white background but then I might not get away with it for the challenge.

Spring

It feels like we are running through March, it won't be long and it will be Easter springing forward with clocks. With this in mind we have another challenge on Everybody Art Challenge, pretty easy one too SPRING.

I had this Penny Black Hedgy & ducklings image waiting in the wings to be used and along with the fab sketch from Sketch and Stash, it pretty much fell into place. 

Sorry no idea for the papers, they're just loose sheets, I want to say Echo Park but I've sneaky feeling they're not.

I've also used the Memory Box Branch and Tulips dies but I've used a scrap of matching paper. Bit of ribbon to finish. I did want to add more but I thought it would be OTT so I restrained myself. Do pop over and check out the team.

I was a bit annoyed yesterday, I got myself comfy with a cup a coffee to catch up on my blogs, well I'm not sure who was at fault whether it Mr Google-Chrome, Mr Virgin or even Mr Computer but I spent my morning cleaning disks and rebooting etc, fingers crossed it works today.

Also I not sure how it affects me viewing my blogs on Dashboard but Google Reader is going in July and since it uses the follow widget, I believe there won't be a dashboard anymore. Since I'm fed up with google messing about I'm now going to get use to reading from Bloglovin, it was pretty easy to import all the blogs I follow but it may take a day or two to get used to.

Freshly made sketch

I'm so pleased I found my handmade cloud embossing folder and to be honest if I hadn't found it I'm not sure I would have attempted the Freshly Made Sketch.
Since its CAS as well thats exactly how I've kept my card. I used a punch for the pink scallop border but I hid most of the pattern so only the scallops show.
I dotted round the image which of course is Saturated Canary and the for the tags I stamped the sentiment first then used a stencil to actually make them.
A bit of update brilliant day at MJ made 2 double and 2 single layouts, yes I know they're only 8 by 8 but apparently I move paper around just as much.
Also the secret project is finished although I cheated, decided that Turkey stitch would be too lumpy to lie on so left that out and I just have to wait for the name cos I want to cross-stitch it in one of the squares. It also needs a wash and the fringed done. Not bad as it was five weeks on Saturday just gone.

Bernard

I adore this cute St Bernard and very apt at the moment with my DD skiing. You can get him from Mo Manning's shop here. 
Foolish I decided to make a male get well card and thats when I got stuck but the LOTV Nitwit papers were perfect but deciding on embellishment well there aren't any. Just a few faux brads and knotted bit of ribbon.
Just quick post today off to find a comfortable place and planning to take it easy, that way I'll feel back to normal, well what normal for me.

Sweet Penny Black

So once again I'm relying on Mr Blogger to post my schedule post but I promise to remember to publish this time. This time I'm up extremely early to take my DD to Gatwick whose off on her jollies in the French Alps  and hopefully there's some snow.
On the way back we going to my Sis so I can be dropped off to go to MJ All Day Crop so I hope my sister is up early.
Meanwhile back to my blog since its Saturday its time for a Penny Black card and I really must stop using my old favourites and use one of the many PB stamps I have. This little sweetheart is a Slapstick called Tweet Talk, my only problem is the black ribbon, I'm trying to imagine it doesn't exist.
I'm pretty sure the papers are Echo Park but I've only got bits of it left so not sure which one. The sketch is from Sweet Sketch Wednesday and I'm quite please how it turned out.
If you follow my reguarly you will know that once again I've used the Harrington Vine from Simon Says Stamp Exclusive and the flowers are Bella Bloom from them too. Can't believe I had to buy another Bella Bloom cos I lost the centres that I also used for other dies and punches centres must make sure not to lose them this time.
Time for bed, early night for me although the chances of me actually falling asleep is slim.