Crafting Confessions

For Cath (sans CHA) with Love Blog Hop

2012-01-31T05:00:00.001Z

Hey!

Welcome to a special blog hop (if you've not visited as part of a the hop be sure to start here or here!)

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you'll know that a lot of crafty peeps are having a whale of a time at CHA right now...but there are some of us who just have to sit drooling and stroking our monitors as we're updated with the pictures. Included in that group of people is not only myself, but for this year it includes the totally Moxie Fab, Cath Edvalson ...

Cath is the ultimate trend detective and it's the first time in six and a half years she's unable to attend CHA. So here in Blogland we're throwing her a special get-well soon blog hop to cheer her up (fingers crossed it works!)

So without further ado, follow the instruction on my card and get well soon, Cath!

Yay! Check out the DP usage on this! Yup - I'm slowly working my way through my stash; this card features some Basic Grey gorgeousness. I wanted to keep the card kinda clinical and clean with those ticks providing the perfect pop of red :)

I'd like to extend a HUGE thanks for both Lorena and Virginia for organising this sweet hop and for inviting me - thanks ladies, you're both so sweet and sum up exactly what's so special about this creative community we have here ♥!

Be sure to hop along now with me to check out what everyone else created to spread the Blog-land-lovin' :)

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Doctor's Orders}
Stamps: Doctor's Orders (Taylored Expressions)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: White (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Basic White 6x6 Collection (Basic Grey)
Accessories: Square Nestabilities, Grand Calibur (Spellbinders)/Red Promarker

A love card...literally!

2012-01-26T05:01:00.000Z

Hey!

Let's kick this Friday-Eve off in style:

Ready for a fab new CASE Study? I hope so! I'm sad that it's Jen Rzasa's last week with us as our muse :( Her creations have been a perfect source of inspiration and I love that we got to legitimately CASE 'em *tee hee*

So let's send Jen off in fabulous style and take this beauty of hers up for studying this week:

Check the original post of this card here!

*sigh* Sometimes it's the most simple ideas that I admire the most: I love Jen's use of twine on this card and use of white space. That's what I took from her gorgeous card to my crafty desk and got busy:

BTW: Inside this card I stamped 'YOU!' in the same font.

Instead of knots on my twine, I opted for hearts to continue the love theme. The hearts are actually a negative from a Martha Stewart Border punch. Now I'm gonna 'fess up and admit that those hearts were a tad tricky to adhere on top of the twine...the perfect medium ended up being Blu-Tack of all things (well, White-Tack in this case!)

I hope you can study along with us for Jen's final week as our muse! All levels of creative peeps are encourage to join in the fun; simply be inspired by Jen's card and go on a creative adventure :)

Oooh and be sure to check out what the rest of the really super duper CASE Study DT whipped up for ya:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Amy Wanford <---you are here!
Christina Maclaren
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (on a break right now)
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teneale Williams
Jen Rzasa (January's muse)

Signing off now! Thanks so much for stopping by - I really appreciate your visits: whether it be actually here on the blog, leaving a comment or stalking via Google reader - thank you!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{love}
Stamps: Wonderful Words Additions (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Baker's Twine, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Martha Stewart Border Punch/Cuttlebug

DIY Kite...

2012-01-25T20:22:00.001Z

Hey!

Happy Wednesday! Over half way to the sweet weekend :)

I'm flying a kite this week. Well sorta. I'm flying a kite card-making stylee:

We've got a brand spanking new challenge over on A Passion for Papertrey in which we want you to be inspired by a book during your inky adventures this next fortnight. My card is inspired by a brilliant book, The Kite Runner.

The kite was created from scraps of DP, ribbon and twine (I don't actually own a kite stamp!) and I used a negative die-cut cloud as a stencil to ink a soft, cloudy background as well as using my beloved linen impression plate (what else?!)

We'd love to see how a book inspires your own creation; simply ensure you use at least one PTI product on your project to enter and share the inspiration!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back in the early hours of tomorrow morning with a brand new CASE Study to share :D

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{let your dreams take flight}
Stamps: Happy Trails (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento)/Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Spring Rain (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Fine and Dandy True Blue Collection (My Mind's Eye)
Accessories: Twine, Ribbon Scraps, Clouds Die, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug

Inspired by mittens..!

2012-01-21T12:48:00.006Z

Hey!

Happy Weekend, Peeps! :)

I'm sending you all super warm, winter wishes today:

OK so it's been a kinda mild winter so far, but the temperature has just started to dip a little round here and it only needs to drop a degree for the perfect excuse to ~~showcase~~ wear my awesome, warm, snugly mittens (celebrating winter in style thanks to a certain Diva *wink*)

Here are those fabulous mittens in question:

Piccy taken a while back when I first got my inky mitts on those babies. I think I need an updated photo!

This card was sent to my buddy, Moe (or Diva, as I like to call her with reference to the fact that she's one awesome Verve Diva!) to celebrate Christmas and winter. After all, it was Moe who sent me these gorgeous mittens all the way from Canada in the first place. I was totally inspired to recreate these actual mittens that I have in my inky possession by simply using an ancient mittens die, some twine and a sweet maple leaf stamp.

I'm also entering this card into the Paper Crafts Connection January Gallery Challenge which is to create winter themed projects to beat the winter blues. I'm pretty sure these babies (the mittens!) will beat any winter blues for myself :)

Wishing you all a super (and toasty warm!) weekend! Ooh and thank you for all the well wishes regarding my guy's broken toe - the good news is that he's walking about better now; is it too soon to ask him to do all the chores yet?!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Warm Winter Wishes}
Stamps: Sentiment from Stocking Prints (Papertrey Ink)/Maple Leaf from Teeny Trees (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Baker's Twine (Papertrey Ink)/Mittens Die (Sizzix)/Cuttlebug

2 Sentiment Stamps = 1 Joke Card!

2012-01-19T05:01:00.000Z

Hey!

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I've not had a spare moment or the initiative to organise some scheduled posts LOL! It doesn't help when your guy breaks his toe (on Friday the 13th; I kid you not!) and you're running around for the both of ya but I'm back now, and I'm here to celebrate Friday-Eve in style:

CASE Study style of course! :)

Oh I'm loving having the super talented Jen Rzasa on board with us as our muse this month! Check out this super creation of hers up for us CASE Studiers to embrace:

Check out the orignial post of this card here.

Now I know what you're thinking. Jen has totally rocked the shape that features in one of my favourite stamp sets, Modern Basics. You're totally expecting me to ink it up, right? Not this time, my inky friends...

In fact, I was totally taken with Jen's use of patterned paper. I have the hugest ~~hoard~~ ~~stash~~ pile of patterned paper that I stroke and dare not use; it's one of my New Year's Resolutions to actually use up some of that patterned paper, and Jen's card inspired me to get a move on with it!

In combination with CASE Study, I was also commissioned to make a card for a colleague's 50th Birthday this week.

Cue the card:

Hmmmm....I know what you're thinking. Yeah, I used patterned paper (score!) but it's hardly celebrating a 50th birthday in style...

...let's take a peek inside, shall we?

Ta-dah!
Pop-up numbers!
More Patterned Paper!

I was also inspired by Jen's shapes from patterned paper and decided to try my hand at cutting my own numbers. I added a bit of dimension and fun to 'em by using them as a pop-up element. I also love that by combining two different sentiment stamps, I've created my first ever card with a joke inside :)

Now we would love for you to study along with us this week! Be sure to check out what the rest of the super duper CASE Study DT created for your viewing pleasure:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Amy Wanford <---you are here!
Christina Maclaren
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (on a break right now)
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teneale Williams
Jen Rzasa (January's muse)

...and now play along with us!

Signing off for now. Fingers crossed this weekend will give me a healed toe and at least the tiniest amount of time to indulge in some crafty therapy and blog hoppin'...

Thank you so much for visiting this tiny corner of Blogland!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{it's just a number}
Stamps: Birthday Bash Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: White (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Fine and Dandy, True Blue 6x6 Collection (My Mind's Eye)

CAS with four layers...?!

2012-01-12T05:01:00.002Z

Hey!

TGI Friday-Eve, Peeps! :)

Oh yes! We have one seriously fabulous card from our muse, Jen Rzasa, up for you CASE Studiers this week.

Check it out:

Check out the original post of this card here!

Butterflies - check! Negative space - check! White space - check! Me likey? You bet'cha! :)

Taking all those gorgeous features into account, I was totally inspired and set to it:

I'm also entering this card into the Die-Cutting challenge on Moxie Fab World too; seemed rude not to after I've been playing with my dies for this card :)

This card has 4 layers. The most I think I've ever used whilst still keeping to my CAS roots!

This 4-layered CAS card (still feels wrong saying that!) was also inspired by Jen's fabulous challenge over on the Runway Inspired Challenge Blog:

I was totally inspired by those stripes, the circles on the catwalk (well, I incorporated one circle but it's a nod in their direction!) and the way that outfit almost looks like a butterfly (especially the lower half of it - a simple gust of wind would probably have that model flying away! LOL!)

So there you have it, a card inspired by Jen twice over :)

I hope you can ink up and play along with us! Be sure to check out what the rest of the CASE Study DT inked up for ya:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Amy Wanford <---you are here!
Christina Maclaren
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (on a break right now)
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teneale Williams
Jen Rzasa (January's muse)

Keeping it short and sweet today. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets {Many Thanks}
Stamps: Sentiment from Frame-It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: White, True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Butterfly Die (Papertrey Ink)/Grand Calibur, Circle Nestability (Spellbinders)/Pigment ink pen (Zig)

Love You (Paper Clip!)

2012-01-10T16:51:00.005Z

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! Is it really only Tuesday? It's my first full week back at work and it's like I've never been away: students stressing over exams, work that needs to be marked and more lessons that need to be planned. It's business as usual :)

It's also business as usual on A Passion for Papertrey as we've kicked off another year of challenges. For our new challenge we're looking forward to the next big occasion in the calendar for us card-makers: St Valentine's Day.

Never too early to create something for a loved one, right?

This design was totally inspired by some cool, heart-shaped paper clips I've been hoarding. I'm thinking that this card would be sweet to tuck into my guy's lunch sometime soon...after all, I don't need a dedicated day of the year to tell him how much he means to me (altogether now, awwwww!)

So why not play along with us? We'd love to see your own takes on Valentine's creations and share the inspiration :)

Right then, back to the book marking (it's my New Year's Resolution to keep on top of it all! So far, so good!)

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Love You}
Stamps: Wonderful Words Additions, Around and About Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: White, True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug, Olivia Alphabet Dies (Provocraft)/Novelty Paper Clip and Gem (Stash!)

Balloons posing as balloons...

2012-01-05T05:01:00.000Z

Hey!

Woo-hoo for Friday-Eve already! Let's get this pre-weekend party started with a new CASE Study!

AND because it's a new month, we've got a new muse to admire too! I'm so happy to see that our muse for January is the super Jen Rzasa! I'm a big fan of Jen's work; I love her CAS style and her out-of-the-box approaches to her designs. Let's check out this first, fun card up for studying this week:

Check out the original post of this card here!

I was taken with the balloons and the sky on Jen's card so started with that as my inspiration...then I realised that I needed a card for my nephew's birthday this weekend so set to it:

Now believe it or not, I do not own a single balloon stamp or embellishment in my crafting supplies. However, I do have my hot-air balloon stamps from Look Up! by Practicing Creativity Designs; not one to be defeated, I simply stamped a hot air balloon on each piece of coloured cardstock, sketched a little triangle at the bottom of the stamped image, cut 'em out, flipped it over and voilà! A balloon fit for a party!

Typing about parties, we've got a cause for a leaving party here at CASE Study...it's with sadness that two fabulous members of our CASE Study family are moving on; both Andrea and Cristina will be missed so much!

However, where there's cause for a leaving party, there's also cause for a welcome party too! We're so happy to welcome the fabulous Christina Maclaren to our DT! Yup that's right, where one Cristina leaves, another Christina enters!

So here's our new CASE Study DT line up. Be sure to check out what everyone whipped up for some serious inspiration:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Amy Wanford <---you are here!
Christina Maclaren
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (on a break right now)
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teneale Williams
Jen Rzasa (January's muse)

I hope you can find some inky time to join in the fun with us! :)

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by here today!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Happy Birthday}
Stamps: Sentiment from Happiness Messages (Hero Arts)/Look Up (Practicing Creativity Designs)
Digital Element: Sky Background from Sillyscape (Hero Arts)
Cardstock: Blueberry Sky, Pure Poppy, Harvest Gold, New Leaf (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento Ink)
Accessories: White Gel Pen (Ranger)/Fineline Pigment Ink Pen (Letraset)

Kraft + Twine = Present

2012-01-04T17:37:00.010Z

Hey!

Happy New Year and happy ~~Monday~~ Wednesday! I'm so confused with the days right now; it was my first day back at school today and I have been constantly reminding myself not to follow Monday on my timetable! The confusion is totally worth it though for a short, sweet working week *wink*

During the last few days of the holidays I managed to squeeze in some time to play with the current CAS-ual Fridays Challenge

There are two ways to play along and I had fun playing with both of 'em! Firstly playing with kraft and twine:

I'm trying to build up a stash of birthday cards to have on hand for emergencies, this is the first of many (I hope!) The lines on the parcel have been drawn on using a Versamark pen and ruler to help compliment the twine.

Secondly, I played a free, sweet digital image from Market Street Stamps to join in their Market Street Stamps Block Party:

The image is a singular mug but I copied it and flipped it horizontally so I could have two mugs sat snuggled together, sharing their warmth; FYI those mugs are filled with tea - perfect for my guy and me! :)

I'm also entering this card into the Paper Crafts January Gallery Challenge - those cozy cups certainly echo the warm feeling of snuggles on the sofa in winter when it's so cold outside.

Well that's all from me today, gotta get myself back into work mode rather than holiday mode!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Happy Birthday}
Stamps: Sentiment - Happiness Messages (Hero Arts)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Versamark Pen
Cardstock: White, Enchanted Evening, Melon Berry, Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Twine (Pink Paislee)/Apron Lace Border Punch (Fiskars)/Chompy! (Corner Comper)

{Together Forever}
Digital Elements: Cozy Cup (Market Street Stamps)/Kraft background (Hero Arts)/Sentiment
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Promarkers/White Gel Pen (Ranger)

Next occasion: St. Valentine's!

2011-12-29T05:01:00.000Z

Hey!

I dunno about you, but with all this holiday I'm forgetting what day it is! One thing's for sure though, it must be Friday-Eve as we're due another fabulous CASE Study :)

It's Amy Sheffer's final week with us as our muse so let's see her out in fabulous style by checkin' out this fabby card of hers up for CASEing this week:

Check out the original post of this card here!

Yup, Christmas is over now for us cardmakers so let's focus on St Valentine's - ha!

I was inspired by the layout, the occassion and the use of green (again, no surprises there!) and added a touch of CAS style to come up with this card:

OK so it's really CAS but trust me when I say it's perfect for my guy :)

***Some of you have asked for a link to the photo tent that my gorgeous guy gave to me for Christmas. You can check out the one I have in my inky possession, here!***

Anyways back to the actual CASE Study! We'd love to have you join in the fun with us; the more merrier! Need some more inspiration to get those creative juices flowing? Then why not check out what the rest of the CASE Study DT created?

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teneale Williams
Amy Sheffer (December's Muse)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Love You}
Stamps: Sentiment from Teeny Trees (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Pinefeather, White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Heart Embellishment (Martha Stewart Crafts)/Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug (Provocraft)

Hello, photo tent :)

2011-12-28T12:08:00.007Z

Hey!

I hope the last few days have been as fun and fabulous for you as they have for us here! We've had a lovely Christmas and Boxing Day (yes, Diva - we have Boxing Day here too!) spent with our families along with some scrummy food, drink and giggles along the way :)

It's business as usual now on the blogeroo though, so without further ado, a card:

Can you tell that I've been a good girl this year? ~~Santa~~ My gorgeous guy presented me with a photo tent complete with daylight lamps on Christmas Day (along with some other beautiful gifts - I felt spoilt rotten!) This piccy was actually taken at night time, so no more having to grumble about running out of daylight hours - score! I've still got a bit of tweaking and practice to go with it, but I'm really happy with this first result :) Any tips you have about using these babies would be much appreciated!

This card for the Runway Inspired Challenge #2; it's inspired by this piccy:

I was totally smitten with those shoes and the gorgeous green bag (no surprises there!) so that dictated my colour scheme and polka dot stamping. The line across the bottom of my card is inspired by the runway, and the use of modern basics for my stamping is inspired by the cool pattern on the dress. Phew! That's a lot of inspiration from one pic!

Right then, I'd better dash as project-tidy-up needs to commence here in Sheffield...

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Hello}
Stamps: Modern Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fern, Buttercup (a muse ink)/London Fog (Memento)
Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse, White (Papertrey Ink)

Christmas, Matisse Styleeee

2011-12-24T11:37:00.005Z

Hey!

Happy Christmas Eve! Are you all ready for the big day? We're just about to load the car up and head off my guy's parents for the big ~~dinner~~ day and then we'll be heading to my folks for Boxing Day (which is also my mum's birthday!)

But before I dash I wanted to share just a couple more cards and wish you all a very merry Christmas! :)

These card designs use both the negative and positive of a die-cut snowflake and also fit the current Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge.

First up, the positive shape:

Next, the use of the negative shape:

This design was for cards to be hand-delivered. No way was I trusting Royal Mail with the amount of fragile dimension on this design!

Although Henri Matisse was famous for 'drawing with scissors' when implementing the idea of positive and negative space, I bet if he had a die cutting machine, he'd have used it! *wink*

Wishing you all a very happy holidays!

Catch ya later! (after the turkey - ha!)

Card Deets
{It's Christmas/Christmas Greetings}
Stamps: Teeny Trees, Frame-It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: London Fog (Memento)
Cardstock: White, White Shimmer (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug and Snowflake Die (Provocraft)/Bling (Craft Stash!)

Modern basics does holly...

2011-12-22T14:55:00.007Z

Hey!

Can you believe how close we are to Christmas?! How did it sneak up on us so fast?! I hope your preparations are going well; I'm amazed at how organised I've been this year: the cards are sent, the presents are wrapped and a couple have already been hand-delivered for the special day! All I've gotta do is sit and wait....I like that! :)

Anyways I'm zooming by with yet another Christmas card (what else?!)

Still stickin' to the traditional colour combo I love so much, and still giving it a modern-kinda twist with Modern Basics posing as holly :)

Again, as I've dabbled with this fabulous colour combo, I'm entering this card into the current JUGS challenge too:

I'll be back again before the big day with a few more Christmas cards to share but if you don't pop back before Christmas I'd like to wish you all a fabulous Christmas!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Happy Happy Happy Holidays}
Stamps: Modern Basics, Stocking Prints (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Fern (a muse)
Cardstock: White, Ripe Avocado, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Twine (Papertrey Ink)/Apron Lace Border Punch (Fiskars)/Cuttlebug, Swiss Dot Embossing Folder (Provocraft)/Chompy! (Corner Chomper)/Gems (Stash!)

A modern take on a traditional colour combo...

2011-12-19T13:38:00.009Z

Hey!

Hoooooooray for the first official day of the holidays! :) I've already been a busy bee as I've finished the rest of my Christmas wrapping (still gotta make some tags as I'm not sure the Post-It notes with names scrawled on will suffice!), took my final trip to the post-office (although it was a soggy walk, the complimentary mince pies on the counter were much appreciated!)

Anyways, onto the cards I have to share. Now I'm a total sucker for the tradition colours of Christmas (any excuse to indulge in my favourite colour *wink*) However, I'm also a sucker for modern design so here's a couple of cards to prove that a traditional colour combo doesn't have to lead to a traditional design:

Getting my dollar's worth with Modern Basics by now creating a wreath! This was easy-peasy to stamp: lightly trace a circle and follow by stamping leaves in two shades of green and add berries and a bow to finish!

Next up, a spot of masking:

Remember the tree from this card? Well using the same mask I created this one simply substituting chevrons for my yummy Classic Fabric Design Hero Arts stamp.

***Edited to add: someone in a previous post asked me what I used as my mask as they find it hard to get good, clean lines with this technique. I usually use a Post-It note, but for this larger shape used regular cheap copier paper (the thinner the better!) and don't' be afraid to add a lot of pressure to that stamp to make sure you get fabulous coverage. Hope that helps!***

These cards could totally qualify for our new challenge on A Passion for Papertrey - I'm dreaming of a GREEN Christmas (yes, this is a challenge I demanded! LOL!) So if you've put a spot of gorgeous green on your own Christmas cards and used at least one PTI product, then share the inspiration with us!

This gorgeous colour combo is also the focal point of the current Just Us Girls Challenge so I'm entering these cards over there too (not sure if that second one of mine will count with it's yellow star though!)

Right I'm now off to tidy up ~~Santa's Grotto~~ my crafting space! I've gotta clear some room to make some tags but I'll be back again this week to share a few more Christmas cards with ya (if you're not sick of 'em already!)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Happy Holidays Wreath}
Stamps: Modern Basics, Stocking Prints, Holiday Tree (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Pure Poppy, Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink)/ Fern (AMuse Ink)/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Ribbon (Craft Supply)

{Happy Holidays Tree}
Stamps: Classic Fabric Design (Hero Arts)/Stocking Prints, Around and About Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fern, Buttercup (AMuse Ink)/Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)

Thank You (for the holidays!) :)

2011-12-16T16:29:00.007Z

Hey!

WA-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! School's finished for Christmas!!!! I think I'm still a little high on a sugar-rush after joining in the festivities with my students in true style by eating waaaaaaaaaay too many sweeties so excuse my over-use of capitals and exclamation marks in this post!!! :)

Now before I settle in under my snuggly blanket with my G&T, I just had to play along with the fabulous new Runway Inspired Challenge. It's led by one seriously fabulous (and super sweet) gal, Jennifer Rzasa and boy, oh boy, has she got one jaw-droppingly talented DT! Some of my most admired stampers feature on it!

The deal of the challenge this week is to be inspired by this runway pic from the Versace Spring 2012 collection:

I was taken with that gorgeous shade of yellow, the detail on that dress (that I would love to own myself!), the illuminated runway and the circular element at in the background.

Here's what a quickly whipped up, totally inspired and itching to play along!

It's a super small 3x3 card...I'm thinking I need to do something differently with it but time is against me, (my daylight has gone for today *sniff* however, I'm sat with fingers crossed that Santa brings me a photo tent complete with daylight lamps for future photography sessions *wink*)

Thanks so much for stopping by this li'l hyperactive corner of Blogland today! I'm off now to get that much-deserved G&T :)

Have a super duper weekend (and if like me, you too have finished work for the year I hope you kick off your holidays in style!)

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Thank You}
Stamps: Dainty Doilies 2 Small,Teeny Trees (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Lemon Tart (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Buttercup (a.muse)/London Fog (Memento)

NOT a Holiday Card!

2011-12-15T08:01:00.001Z

Hey!

Wowzers! Friday-Eve already?! This week is proving to be B.U.S.Y! Last week of school, last mad dashes to the post office (I'm becoming a real regular there!) and late night Christmas shopping has meant that I've been pretty MIA here in Blogland...

However, the good news is that the Christmas shopping is done, my trips to the post office are nearly finished and it's Friday-Eve :)

Let's kick off the pre-Christmas weekend celebrations with a fabulous new CASE Study! Our muse for December, Amy Sheffer has this beauty up for CASEing:

Check out Amy's original post of this beautiful card, here!

I was totally drawn with the butterfly (I'm a sucker for 'em!), the stamped lace and the splash of aqua, popping against the black and white. AND guess what? I didn't create a card for the Holidays this time (I've still got a couple of Christmas cards to share here but it feels so good to say that they're all done and posted - yay!):

It's a pretty CAS take on Amy's card (what else?!) and I liked the idea of juxtaposing clean and modern with fussy by using grid paper for my butterfly and a doily for my stamped element. Even the sentiment kinda mixes styles a little with it's use of two different fonts.

I'm also gonna enter this into the current Play Date Cafe Challenge too with my splash-of-aqua-butterfly.

Back to CASE Study: this week's CASE Study will run for two weeks to give you a chance to ink up and play along during the busy holiday season. I hope you can squeeze a bit of inky time to join us!

Check out the rest of the all-star CASE Study DT for more inspiration:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teneale Williams
Amy Sheffer (December's Muse)

Right I've got a party to help organise for the final day of term...I'm thinking of suggesting we play sleeping lions for an hour but I don't think the students will buy it! LOL!

Thank you so much for popping by today!

Catch ya later! (I have a date with Google Reader on Friday night...along with a celebratory G&T for finishing the term! *wink*)

Card Deets
{Thank You}
Stamps: Dainty Doilies 2 Small (Waltzingmouse Stamps)/Botanical Silhouettes (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento Ink)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Patterened Paper: Aqua Mist - Bitty Box Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Button, Twine, Butterfly Die (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug (Provocraft)

A Modern Poinsettia...

2011-12-08T05:01:00.001Z

Hey!

Woop woop! It's Friday-Eve! You all know what that means....

Time for a fabby new CASE Study from our muse, Amy Sheffer! Just feast your eyes upon this fabby card up for CASEing:

Check out the original post of this card here!

So what did I choose to CASE on this beauty of Amy's? Well I just couldn't take my eyes of that pretty poinsettia so I opted to create a poinsettia of my own:

Oh Modern Basics, how I love thee! Even the 'happy' part of the sentiment is from PTI's Modern Basics and 'holidays' is a partially stamped sentiment from PTI's Stocking Prints. I love how two sets have combined to make a fab sentiment - that font makes me swoon a little y'know!

In fact, I had so much fun stamping that poinsettia that I went ahead and made a few more cards based on the same design like this:

Only I couldn't spare all the bling so opted for buttons in the centre instead :)

We'd love for you to join in the fun and ink along with us! Be sure to check out the rest of the CASE Study DT for some awesome inspiration:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teneale Williams
Amy Sheffer (December's Muse)

Thank you so much for stopping by! Oh and thanks for all the well wishes about my ankle; the good news is that I'm now able to walk about so there's no more hopping (but there will always be blog hopping of course!)

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Happy Holidays}
Stamps: Modern Basics, Stocking Prints (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: White, Pinefeather (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Bling (Zva)/Button (Papertrey Ink)

A Modern Christmas Tree...

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000Z

Hey!

Happy Monday! I'm on the official countdown now for the Christmas holidays: T-minus 10 working days and counting *wink*!

During the past weekend I had the chance to play with some new juicy A Muse inks and inked like mad to whip out some much needed cards for Christmas. Whilst I was at it, I couldn't resist playing along with the current CAS-ual Fridays challenge too:

This fun tic-tac-toe challenge led me pick a line of Green, Kraft and Chevrons (what else?!) and I got busy:

I opted for a super-modern Christmas tree using a simple masking technique with my trendy (and much neglected!) Background Basics: Chevrons set. I love that this card is postage friendly too, meaning no bulky envelopes or higher rates of postage to say "Happy Holidays" to family and friends :)

This is just one design of a few I have to share with ya...turns out that by simply playing with some fabulous new ink helps my mojo no end! However I must get back to whipping out and actually sending a few more Christmas cards before I start showing 'em on here!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Happy Holidays}
Stamps: Background Basics: Chevrons, Stocking Prints - Sentiment (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Kraft, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fern, Buttercup (A Muse)/Cocoa (Memento)
Accessories: Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug (Provocraft)

I'm dreaming of a white (and red!) Christmas...

2011-12-03T12:34:00.001Z

Hey!

Happy Weekend :)

I'm popping in today to share a card with some felt-a-licious lovin' on it:

I've been spending the last week rooting through my supplies for inspiration for my Christmas cards. I've gotta say it's been like a treasure hunt; I'd forgotten all about this sweet stocking die I had and couldn't resist make a sweet felt stocking for a card :)

This card is also for our new challenge on A Passion for Papertrey. We wanna see your holiday creations that feature a red and white colour scheme (personally, I'd love to have thrown some green in the mix, but I can always place this card in green envie, or write inside it using green ink, right?! *wink*)

So if you've got a spare moment, why not join in the inky fun with us?

I'm leavin' ya now to go make some more Christmas cards; turns out I've not really made that many so far and have soooooo many more to make than I originally thought...how the heck did December crept around so quickly?

Thank you so much for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of your weekend whatever you're doing!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Deck the Halls}
Stamps: Stocking Prints (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Stocking Die, Bakers Twine (Papertrey Ink)/Felt (Craft Supply)/Cuttlebug

Peace & Joy (and snowflakes!)

2011-12-01T05:01:00.000Z

Hey!

Yup. I know I've been totally MIA recently...sorry! Turns out that I damaged my ankle waaaay more than I'd anticipated last week, and have spent my days since dosed up on strong painkillers resting it. The good news is that I'm starting to hop (yes, literally hop!) around now and that includes blog hopping too :)

Anyways I digress. The reason you came here was to celebrate Friday-Eve, wasn't it?!

Well even if it wasn't, let's celebrate it anyway with a fabulous new CASE Study, and with it a fabulous new muse for the month of December! So without further ado, our muse for December on CASE Study is Amy Sheffer! And she's kicking us off with this super card of hers up for CASEing this week:

Check out the original post of this card, here!

So what direction did I take with this card? Well I'm not afraid to 'fess up to being a li'l daunted by Amy's card: she has such a different style to myself. However I found it super easy to be inspired by the elements that make up this fab card and incorporate them into my own kinda style. I chose to focus on the circular element, the placement of the butterflies and the way the sentiment was trimmed and adhered to the card:

I just substituted those butterflies for snowflakes in my case :)

Yup, another Christmas card down, another million to go (well, slight exaggeration there but it feels like a lot and it's Dec 1st already!)

Why not play along with us and join in the fun? All you gotta do is be inspired by Amy's card and get creative!

Now having a new muse isn't the only exciting news we have to share from CASE Study HQ, we also have a new DT member on board with us! Now to say I'm excited is an understatement. In fact, I don't think there is a word to express just how happy I was to find that Chupa asked this super talented Diva (now there's a clue!) to join us...yup, that's right! My super blog buddy, Moe (Maureen Plut) is joining us! I hope you can find a spare moment to welcome her with open arms and while you're at it, be sure to check out what Moe the rest of the super duper CASE Study DT created for your viewing pleasure:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Maureen Plut
Teneale Williams
Amy Sheffer (December's Muse)

...and be sure to join us! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Peace & Joy}
Stamps: Holiday Tree (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)/Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Cardstock: Spring Rain, Stamper's Select White, White Shimmer Cardstock (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Fresh Snow Twill Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)/Circle Nestabilitiy (Spellbinders)/Cuttlebug (Provocraft)/Shimmer Chalk (Dovecraft)/Snowflake Punch (X-Cut)/Clear Gems (Hero Arts)

Polka Dot Snow...

2011-11-24T05:01:00.000Z

Hey!

Happy Thanksgiving to peeps across the pond toady! If you're celebrating it, I hope it's a goodie :)

For the rest of us, we can still celebrate Friday-Eve in the traditional way, right?!

Yup. You guessed it. Another fabulous CASE Study for us to be inspired by!

Up for inspirational grabs this week is this beautiful card by our muse, Kryssi Ng:

Check out the original post of this CAS beauty, here!

As you know, I'm trying really hard to get a real start on some Christmas cards. I need 'em to be preferably flat and CAS in design (I'm not one for mass producing but it's good to whip out a few of the same design at least!) So unsurprisingly I took a festive direction after going dotty for Kryssi's CAS beauty-of-a-card (see what I did there? Dotty...as in polka dots? Tee - hee!):

This card was whipped together in a matter of minutes thanks to my inspiration point. The longest amount of time was taken in deciding whether to round that top corner or not!

So whether you're scoffin' on a Thanksgiving feast or not, we'd love to see you join in the fun with us! No matter what you're level, we love to share the inspiration!

Speaking of inspiration, why not check out what the rest of the CASE Study DT created?

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Teneale Williams
Kryssi Ng (November's Muse)

Normally I'd sign off by saying I had to dash, but that would be pretty tricky at the moment. Football training last night resulted in me leaving with one ankle abnormally larger than the other - ouch! So I'm hobbling off today with an ankle strapped up...still, least it's not an injury that can stop me from stamping :)

Thank you so, so much for stopping by my li'l corner of Blogland!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Happy Holidays}
Stamps: Holiday Tree, Polka Dot Basics II, Holiday Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: London Fog, Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Gems (Craft Supply)/Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

From Silly Scape to Snow Scape...

2011-11-17T05:01:00.001Z

Hey!

Wa-hoooooooooooooo for Friday Eve, Peeps! :)

Shall we celebrate in the usual style?

Why not? After all, when you have the fabulous Kryssi Ng as your muse here at CASE Study, I can't think of a more perfect way to celebrate the end of the working week!

Check out this super cool card of Kryssi's up for CASEing this week:

Check out the original post of this fun card, here.

I was totally smitten with that cityscape and the way that Kryssi has so cleverly turned it into a card for the holidays. In fact, I was so smitten that I went straight ahead and purchased the Hero Arts Digi kit, Silly Scap e and got busy with my printer and pens:

I wanted to turn this cityscape (or should that be silly-scape?!) into a winter, Christmas-themed card just like Kryssi did. My snowflakes have been stamped on acetate with white Staz-On and placed over some glittered rooftops to give this cityscape a Christmas-like feel. Those sparkly rooftops add that touch of magic that I can't capture with my camera - you're just gonna have to trust me on this one *wink*!

Now before you dash to check out what the rest of the CASE Study DT have for you to feast your eyes on, we have some good and bad news. The bad news is that Julie Smith has decided to step down from the DT. Such a touch decision to make and it's so sad to see her leave; I'll miss her fabulous CAS style she contributed week after week :(

But every cloud has a silver lining, right? So where one door closes, another one opens...and those doors have opened for our newest CASE Study DT member - Julie Lacey! She needs no introductions, she's a fireball of talent and I've been a ~~stalker~~ fan of her work for ages! (you may remember that Julie was one of our muses not so long ago!)

So be sure to check out what our new CASE study DT rustled up for ya (and be sure to welcome our newest DT member too!)

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Julie Lacey
Jean Martin
Teneale Williams
Kryssi Ng (November's Muse)

Right then, duty calls here: I've got two more days of work including Children in Need on Friday. Friday is going to be a surreal day at work with everyone in fancy dress and me paying the students double the price of a car wash to keep them away from my car - ha! All for charity of course and good fun too!

Have a wonderful weekend (we might as well start celebrating it now y'know *wink*)

Thank you so much for stopping by! I really appreciate your visits :)

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Very Merry}
Stamps: Tiny Tags, Holiday Tree (Papertrey Ink)
Digi Stamp: Silly Scape (Hero Arts)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Cotton White (Staz-On)
Cardstock: Enchanted Evening, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Twine, Tag Die (Papertrey Ink)/Grand Calibur, Nestabilities (Spellbinders)/Glitter (Doodlebug)/Acetate (Office Supply)

Leafy Gratitude

2011-11-13T19:09:00.004Z

Hey!

Hope you've all had a super weekend! Mine is nearing the end, but it's been a super crafty one - what else can one do when the weather is dull and foggy?! *wink*

I'm just popping by to share a card with you that you can find in the special issue of Paper Crafts, 365 Cards:

I love that in the magazine, this card is known as 'Leafy Gratitude'. Those leaves sparkle so much IRL as they've been dusted with shimmer chalks after stamping my leaves in Versamark.

The sweetest thing about getting my inky mitts on this issue is not only the amazing inspiration I've got from just flickin' through it, but that this particular card is sat right next to my bloggin' buddy, Lynn's card! How fun! Her card also features a good dose of leafy gratitude - it's fabby!

Well if you haven't got this issue already, you *need* it! It comes jam-packed with 366 cards; one for every day of next year so you'll never find your mojo stuck for inspiration!

Right, that's enough from me - I must go pack my school bag..It's like I've never grown up really! Ha!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Leafy Gratitude}
Stamps: Turning a New Leaf, Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Versamark, Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Fine Linen, Terracotta Tile (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Circle Nesties (for masking)/Cuttlebug/Rustic Twine and Button (Papertrey Ink)/Shimmer Chalks (Dovecraft)

Honestly, they're baubles...

2011-11-10T05:01:00.000Z

Hey!

Is it just me, or is this week zooooooooming by?! Friday-Eve already?! Yippee!!

Let's kick off the pre-weekend celebrations with a shiny CASE study, shall we?

Oooh you're in for another treat this week, my fellow CASE Studiers: check out this seriously cute card up for CASEing this week from our fabulous muse this month, Kryssi Ng:

Check out the original post of this super cute card, here!

Tee Hee! Always a sucker for a pun - this card made me smile from ear to ear :)

I decided it was time to crank out some more Christmas cards (you better get used to seein' 'em here for the next few weeks *wink*)

I hope you can tell that I was inspired by Kryssi's colour scheme, use of twine, and two acorns (I simply substituted acorns for baubles!)

With my lack of new Christmas stamps, I'm starting to look at my current stash in a different light. My Mat Stack 2 die looked like it could represent a bauble...what d'ya think? I did cut two of those ~~mat stack dies~~ baubles from patterned paper but it was far too busy...so instead I used the negative shape from the die cut as a stencil, and sponged shimmer chalk for a more subtle bauble in the background.

Oh and that stripy strip of card at the top (which kinda reminds me of a candy cane - albeit a blue one!) is a scrap from a chevron stamping session - bonus!

So to be a bauble, or not to be - you decide! Whilst you're deciding, be sure to check out the what the rest of the super duper CASE Study DT whipped up for ya:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith (taking a break but feel free to leave some love!)
Teneale Williams
Kryssi Ng (November's Muse)

And of course, be sure to join in the fun - get inked up and play along with us! All you gotta do is be inspired by Kryssi's card in any way you please and get creative! Oh, and most important of all, have fun! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Season's Greetings}
Stamps: Holiday Signature Greetings, Background Basics: Chevron Stripes (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento)/Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Tickets from Daily Junque Collection (Pink Paislee)
Accessories: Shimmer Chalks (Dovecraft)/Gems (Zva)/Mat Stack 2 Die (Papertrey Ink)/Grand Calibur (Spellbinders)/Twine from Daily Junque Collection (Pink Paislee)

Taking the berry (in small doses!)...

2011-11-06T10:00:00.000Z

Hey!

Happy weekend! I'm popping by today to share a card with ya before I have to do a mad dash around the house on a cleaning frenzy; then make myself look presentable, before having my guy's parents over in a couple of hours. I'd love to say that I'm a domestic goddess and that I've already prepared a culinary feast, but I'll 'fess up: we're planning to go and have Sunday lunch elsewhere (beats the washing up created by cooking at home, right?!)

Anyways, back to what I'm here for:

This card is for our current challenge on A Passion for Papertrey. It's a colour based challenge in which we wanna see you use peach, green, brown (and any neutrals) on your creations. Yup - I did freak a li'l when I had to face my all-time dreaded colour, Melon Berry *shudder* but I have to say I'm getting better at working with it (in small doses and combined with green!)

We'd love to see you join in the fun with us. You don't need to have the PTI coloured cardstock on hand to play along, any equivalent will do - just be sure to have one Papertrey Ink product on your creation for it to qualify.

Right then, must dash as times-a-tickin...

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{I'm so Grateful for you}
Stamps: Signature Greetings/Background Basics: Chevron Stripes
Ink: Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink)/Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Melon Berry (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Dark Chocolate Buttons, Cream Button Twine, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate, Mat Stack 4 Die, Fillable Frames Die (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug, Distressed Wood Embossing Folder (Provocraft)

Is that a tulip posing as a poppy..?

2011-11-03T04:01:00.000Z

Hey!

Happy Friday-Eve, Peeps!!!!

Yeah, yeah, y'know the drill, right? Friday-Eve means a new CASE study... But wait! It's also a new month (Man, November already?!) and so we have the added fun of a new muse to CASE!

So who's inspiring us this month? Well let me introduce to you Kryssi Ng! Oh you're in for such a treat this month with Kryssi's creations; I wish I could spill the beans and share them all here now, but I'll resist temptation and just give you a peek of what we're CASEing this week :)

Check out the original post of this card here!

Ooooh check out those gorgeous delicate colours, the perfect blending of those inks and the fabulous use of a negative die cut *swoon*

I went on a bit of a creative diversion from Kryssi's beauty:

My inspiration started with Kryssi's use of that Hero Arts Poppy Stamp. I decided to purchase the digital version of Hero Art's Botanical Tulips (a total bargain at $0.99!) and play. Now I know this isn't a tulip, but I personally think this open tulip looks just like a poppy to me *wink*. November is a time when there's poppies-a-plenty around here as we pause to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us today so this card seems kinda fitting right now (have I convinced you yet that it's a poppy BTW?!)

Well poppy or no poppy, be sure to check out how Kryssi inspired the rest of the most fabulous CASE study DT:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith (taking a break but feel free to leave some love!)
Teneale Williams
Kryssi Ng (November's Muse)

So c'mon and join in the fun? It's easy-peasy to be inspired by Kryssi's card and we'd love to see your own take on it! All levels of crafty peeps are encouraged to play along and share the inspiration :)

Right, that's all from me today! I dunno about you but I'm totally ready for the weekend after my first week back at work. I'm kicking off my weekend with a dinner to attend with my guy for his work....I'll confess that the free dinner and free bar made this function a mandatory one for me attend *grin*

Hope you all have a super weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by here today :)

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Thank You for your Kindness}
Stamps: Classic Fabric Design, Digital Stamp - Botanical Tulips (Hero Arts)/Sentiment - Iconic Images (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Soft Stone (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Promarkers/Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug

My little pumpkin...

2011-10-31T17:29:00.005Z

Hey!

Happy Monday!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Back-to-work-after-a-week-off! OK, maybe that last one doesn't apply to you but it does to me :)

Now I've already spooked ya for Halloween with my Retro Ghouls but what's Halloween without an expected spook on the actual day, right?

I've rustled up a super quick tag that I put on some yummy treats for my ~~little pumpkin~~ guy (who is a total kid at heart!) and tucked it away in his lunchbox this morning for a nice treat today:

Oooh and there was another treat for him in there too:

This li'l dude is magnetic! Sweet! After my guy's request to make him his own pac-man inspired ghostie, I figured that he'd get more use from one that could keep him company on his desk and make him smile all year around whilst he works :)

So that's Halloween wrapped up for us here! Chocolate and retro-ghosts - I can't complain but there's always time for a trick to be played yet....*wink*

Thanks so much for stopping by and if you're celebrating Halloween, have fun and stay safe!

Catch ya later!

Tag Deets
{My little Pumpkin}
Stamps: Tiny Treats Halloween (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Orange Zest, True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Promarkers/Orange Zest Grosgrain Ribbon, True Black Button, Cream Button Twine, Mat Stack 4 Die, Limitless Layers Die (Papertrey Ink)

A retro-style spooking!

2011-10-29T14:53:00.004+01:00

***WARNING: Picture heavy post!***

Hey!

Well I'm popping by today to give you pre-Halloween spooking.....

...retro styleeeeeeee!

Introducing:

Mr Orange

Mr Green

Ms Purple (who's such a poser that she insisted on two pics!)

Recognise these cuties at all?

I confess. I let my inner retro-gaming-geekness dictate this year's Halloween treats for my little ~~monsters~~ nieces and nephews *grin* These ghosts are totally inspired by that retro-classic, Pac-Man!

And what's inside? A trick or a treat...?

A treat of course! C'mon I'm not that mean *wink*

These treat holders were so easy to whip up once I'd drawn a template of a ghost and used hardly any of my supplies (bonus!) Googly eyes add so much character to these ghouls. I had to make 7 in total, but here's three of 'em lined up (I couldn't fit any more on one pic!)

Now take a closer peek. Can't you tell that Ms Purple is oh-so-mature and those boys, Mr Orange and Mr Green are up to no good as usual...

Tee-hee!

I did wonder if my eldest niece was too old to celebrate Halloween this way at age 13, but after the reaction I got from my guy when I showed him these I've now been commissioned to make him one LOL!!! I think the gaming nostalgia was evoked in him when he saw these - not quite sure my nieces and nephews will get it but I figure they're waaaaaay more interested in the contents than the packaging anyways!

So I'm signing off to make another one of these cuties...in green of course! ;D

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Treat Deets
{Boo!}
Cardstock: True Black, Simply Chartreuse, Plum Pudding, Orange Zest (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Halloween Die - 'BOO!', Cuttlebug (Provocraft)/Orange Dotty Ribbon, Simply Chartreuse Ribbon, Lavender Moon Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)

Making my one inky session count...

2011-10-27T05:01:00.000+01:00

Hey!

Friday-Eve already?! Where has my week flown by to? Even when surrounded by hot honey and lemon and my blanket, time still seems to fly (typical that I get ill for half-term, eh?!)

Fear not though. Through the sniffles and the shivers I've managed to whip up a card for our CASE study this week:

It's Niki's last week with us as our muse :( I've loved having her inspire me and kicking me into gear with my Christmas cards! Let's check out this week's card of hers up for CASEing:

Check out the original post of this card here!

Isn't it a beauty? Well after many hours curled up on the sofa with my laptop, I put together the energy to create a card. I was desperate to play along with a couple of other challenges too this week and so my card is inspired by not only one, but three sources (I'll explain the other two sources in a sec!)

Firstly - my card:

The brown, circular frame is cut from felt btw - the pic doesn't show its warm, fuzzy goodness :)

You were totally expecting a Christmas card, right? Well I'm not wanting to skip out autumn altogether now; after all it's my favourite season of the year and this card sums up why: The colours, the falling leaves, the time to pull out those warm, cosy knitted garments to wear on the chilly days - ahhh I love it sooooooo much :)

Hopefully you can tell that I was inspired to use Niki's layout for my card this week, as well as loosely interpreting the use of leaves!

However this card was also inspired by the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger (determined to play along - cold or no cold!) I was inspired by the square shapes, the woodgrain and *gorgeous* colours :)

AND

Seeing as I've dabbled with some felt on my card, as well as some jute-mesh-stuff I found in my stash, I'm hoping this will qualify for the Moxie Fab Textured to Perfection Challenge.

So there you have it. One card, three sources of inspiration! Now if that's not making my one inky session I've managed this week count, I don't know what is!

Be sure to check out what the rest of the CASE study DT whipped up for ya:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith (taking a break but feel free to leave some love!)
Teneale Williams
Niki Estes (October's Muse)

and then get inky and join in the fun!

OK I'm signing off now - time to kick this cold's butt before work next week. Wish me luck!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Thanks}
Stamps: Maple Leaf (Clarity Stamps)/Thanks from Frame-It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Autumn Sky (Adirondack)/Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Scarlet Jewel, Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Dark Chocolate Button and Felt (Papertrey Ink)/Nestabilities & Grand Calibur (Spellbinders)/Jute Mesh (Craft Supply)/Embossing Folder & Cuttlebug (Provocraft)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a silhouette?

2011-10-22T10:00:00.000+01:00

Hey!

Hooray for the weekend! Hoooooooooooray for half-term! Whoop! :)

Did today's title of my post have you raising an eyebrow? Well it comes from a card I've made for a new challenge on A Passion for Papertrey:

Our new challenge - Sensational Silhouettes - is to incorporate a silhouette (or silhouettes) on your project. Silhouettes are all the trend right now and we're jumping on the bandwagon with 'em *wink*

Once I'd made this card I then questioned whether the bird counts as a silhouette seeing as it has fine detailed lines and isn't a solid image. So...um.....well....I decided that it's stayin' that way - ha! If, however, you'd like to show us what you can do with a real silhouette then we'd love for you to join in our challenge and share the inspiration!

Wishing you all a super duper weekend :)

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{A Bird...}
Stamps: Happy Trails (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Pure Poppy Grosgrain Ribbon, Happy Trails Bird Die, Text Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug/Gem (Stash!)

New tyre or new stamps...?

2011-10-20T05:01:00.000+01:00

Hey!

Oh what a week! It's not only been super busy with our last week of school before half-term but it's been a bloomin' expensive one too: yesterday I had the joy of finding I had a flat tyre that needed to be replaced as I set off for work - eek! Oh the trauma of having to get my priorities in order with my pennies! As much as I was saving for some new crafty goodies with those pennies, the silver lining of this boo-boo is that I'll be getting my money's worth with my current crafty supplies when it comes to my Christmas cards this year!

Speaking of which, I have a prime of example of this to celebrate our new CASE study with on this fine Friday-Eve :)

Niki Estes is proving to be a very inspiring muse and has already achieved the impossible: inspiring me to create a Christmas card in October! Can she do it once again with this beauty of hers?

Check out the original post of this card, here!

Of course she can! :D

It's hard to tell on the pic (daylight hours are fading so quickly now!) but there's a musical background stamped on my card base. I was inspired by Niki's stamped background, layout and colours to come up with this card. I wanted that bow to look like this card had been wrapped up just like a Christmas gift.

Now I went down the Christmas route with this week's CASE study but be sure to check out the route the rest of the CASE study DT went on for your viewing pleasure this week!

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Niki Estes (October's Muse)

And then be sure to ink up and play along with us!

OK so I've gotta do some serious thinking now my Christmas crafting budget is in the form of a rear, near-side tyre! I'm gonna need some serious inspiration so I'll be stalking Blogland as soon as I can :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today - your visits and comments are appreciated so much! (yes, even you lurking on Google Reader *wink*)

Catch ya later!

Card Deets {Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year}
Stamps: Holiday Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink)/Musical Background (Kaisercraft)
Ink: Versamark/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Hunter's Green (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Pure Poppy Saddle-Stitch Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)/Gems (Zva)/Promarker (to colour gem!)

Par-tay!

2011-10-18T10:00:00.000+01:00

Hey!

Well I may be sooooooooo busy right now but I've always got time for a party....!

Where's the party at? What's the occasion, you ask? Well the good news is that the party is right H.E.R.E and the occasion is to celebrate one incredibly talented and lovely peep's birthday :)

Yup! We've got a party goin' down here in Blogland to celebrate none other than Karen Baker's birthday!

So before I go on:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!
WISHING YOU THE MOST FANTASTIC BIRTHDAY, EVER!

And now for the partying :) As you hop along Blogland today you'll spot a few of us celebrating Karen's Birthday in style. The sweetest gal ever, Erin organised this whole shindig for Karen and invited me to be a part of this party blog hop. The only condition was that I had to 'bring' something....

...so I decided that I like to have a nice drink at a party (don't we all?!) and decided that we must all drink in style:

Now I'll bring whatever drink y'all fancy...you name it and it's in the glass :)

I'm hoping you can tell that I dedicated this li'l decoration to Karen with the use of a stamped dragonfly embellishment - kinda fitting seeing as her blog is titled, The Bald Dragonfly (sorry, Karen but the glimmer mists just wouldn't play nicely on this project - believe me, I tried!). It's super sparkly IRL and coloured using Sakura Stardust pens along with having clear, delicate, sparkly vellum wings:

Now not only are we drinking in style, we're celebrating the whole day in style; be sure to check out what the rest of the party-goers rustled up for us and par-tay!

Erin, http://www.homemadecardsbyerin.blogspot.com

Cristina, http://mypapersecret.blogspot.com

Kelly Marie, http://lawnfawn.blogspot.com

Christina, http://christinamaclaren.blogspot.com

Kelley Eubanks, http://myfrontporch-kelley.blogspot.com

Yvonne, http://yyam.blogspot.com/

Virginia, http://virginialusblog.blogspot.com/

Laurel, http://laurelbeard.wordpress.com/

Jen, http://jenshearsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Dana, http://kismetartlife.blogspot.com

Michele, http://studiomsg.blogspot.com/

Lynn, http://themangoboysandme.blogspot.com/

Lindsay, http://lindsayamrhein.blogspot.com/

Amy, http://tsurutadesigns.blogspot.com/

Aimes, http://craftingconfessions.blogspot.com/ (that's me!)

Jen R, http://ourchangeofart.blogspot.com/

Lisa, http://bellalistona.blogspot.com/

Lynn, http://www.millers-ink.net/

Ooh and before you get all partied-out, be sure to pop across and send your birthday wishes to the birthday gal herself :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and partying on!

Catch ya later!

Decoration Deets
{Hope it Tickles}
Stamps: 'Hope it Tickles' from Frame-It (Waltzingmouse)/Dragonfly from Happy Trails (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Vellum Cardstock (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Dragon Fly Die (Papertrey Ink)/Stardust Gel Pens (Sakura)/Clear Spica Pen (Copic)/Drinking Straw (my Kitchen!)

A CAS Christmas in October...

2011-10-13T05:01:00.000+01:00

Hey!

Woo hoo for Friday-Eve! Let's celebrate it with a shiny new CASE study :)

Are you ready to join us in being inspired by yet another fab card from our muse, Niki Estes? Well I hope so - just take a peeky at this:

Check out Niki's original post of this card here!

I chose to be inspired by the colours, the technique of using markers (though I'll never be as amazing with markers as Niki, I still love to colour *grin*) and the use of a natural element (in Niki's case, a flower)

I know. I'm in shock too. I mean me make a Christmas card in October?! It's unheard of! I guess seeing so many yummy Christmas cards out in blogland inspired me to get a head start on my own cards, and Niki's card for CASE study this week was enough to push me to ink up a tree and decorate it *wink*

Be sure to check out the rest of the CASE study DT's creations - I promise you won't be disappointed and will be full of even more inspiration to get inked up and play along with us!

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Niki Estes (October's Muse)

Well I dunno about you, but this week has been B.U.S.Y.! I'll be looking forward to the weekend and hoping to do a spot of blog hoppin' along with some well deserved inky therapy :) Hope your weekend is a fab one!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Merry Christmas}
Stamps: Holiday Tree (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Fine Linen (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug (Provocraft)/Linen and Canvas Impression Plate, Pure Poppy Buttons (Papertrey Ink)/Promarkers/Gem (Craft Supply)

Maple leaves (and turkey!)....

2011-10-09T13:53:00.005+01:00

Hey!

Well it's a soggy Sunday afternoon here in Sheffield; it really feels like we're in the midst of autumn now (although it's my fave season I wish we could have it without the soggy days!)

The one thing I adore about autumn are the colours. Speaking of which, I have a li'l card which sums this up nicely:

This card is also dedicated to any Canadian peeps who'll be celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow! Enjoy your holiday and the scrummy food that usually accompanies it *wink* It was totally worth sacrificing so many buttons for such an occasion methinks :)

Well looking outside my window it looks like I'll be spending the rest of this soggy Sunday at my desk...I guess the rainy days do have a positive element to 'em after-all!

Thanks so much for stopping by and if you're celebrating Thanksgiving, do it in style!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Happy Thanksgiving}
Stamps: Frame It, Teeny Trees (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento)/Scarlet Jewel, Orange Zest (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream, Terracotta Tile (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Buttons, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug (Provocraft)/Apron Lace Border Punch (Fiskars)

Musical butterflies....?!

2011-10-06T05:01:00.001+01:00

Hey!

Well I can't believe it, but it's Friday-Eve already :)

We're kickin' off the build up to the weekend on CASE Study with a new muse on board!!!! So whose fantastic creations will be up for CASEing during October you ask? Well let me introduce no other than the super Niki Estes!!!!

And without further ado, here's Niki's first card up for the CASE Study this week featuring some stamps designed by Niki herself!

Check out the original post of this card here

Butterfly Dreams is one of my favourite PTI sets...I have a thing for butterflies so it doesn't take much persuading for me to ink up this sweet set:

Tip: the butterflies on the musical background are stamped once on scrap paper before stamping on the card to keep the background subtle. It also gives you the availability of a lighter hue of any of your inks should you fancy it!

I hope you can tell that I CASEd the idea of incorporating butterflies as well as that gorgeous, bold turquoise colour and the musical notes (I then couldn't resist turning this into a 'just a note' card *grin*) I'm not sure if musical notes coordinate with butterflies for a non-birthday card but for the purpose of this card they'll have to! I used a masking technique to create my focal point which gives me the added bonus of making this a very flat card for posting: Aimes 1 Royal Mail 0 - ha!

Obviously I took a pretty CAS approach to this week's CASE Study (what else?!) but you can let Niki's card take you on any creative adventure you desire! Just be sure to share what you create with us and join in the fun!

Now before you scoot to get inked up, take a peek at what the rest of the CASE study DT created for ya:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Teresa Kline
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Niki Estes (October's Muse)

Thanks for stoppin' by this li'l corner of Blogland :)

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Just a note}
Stamps: Butterfly Dreams, Happy Trails (Papertrey Ink)/Musical Background (Kaisercraft)
Ink: London Fog, Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Butterfly Die (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug (Provocraft)/Promarkers

Geometric Gorgeous-ness (and green!)...

2011-10-04T21:06:00.006+01:00

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! Hope you all had a lovely weekend; did you managed to squeeze in any card making for World Card-Making Day? Although I do it all year round, the one day of the year that's dedicated to it was spent doing anything but card-making: with the mini-heatwave we've had here the past few days I couldn't pass up on making the most of the sunshine :)

However, the good news is that I have managed to squeeze in some inky therapy after work to rustle up this tiny (3x3) card:

Mmmm green and grey - what a gorgeous combo! And be sure to check out the geometric pattern on this diddy card because its for our new challenge on A Passion for Papertrey! We want to see geometric designs featured on your project. Pick whatever shape takes your fancy and let it shine! Hope you can find time to play along with us and share the inspiration :)

Well I'm dashing off again now: seeing as I spent the whole weekend making the most of the sunshine I've now got a backlog of stamping to catch up on *wink*

Thanks so much for stopping by; be sure to visit on Thursday for a new CASE study and with it, a fabulous new muse to introduce for October..!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{for you}
Stamps: Daily Designs, Wonderful Words Additions (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: London Fog, Memento Black (Tuxedo)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Simply Chartreuse (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Simply Chartreuse Buttons (Papertrey Ink)/Twine (Pink Paislee)

Going dotty...

2011-09-29T05:01:00.000+01:00

Hey!

Hooray for Friday-Eve! Let's kick off this pre-weekend celebration with style:

CASE study-style of course! :)

Awww I'm sad to say that it's Julie Lacey's final week with us as a CASE study muse. I've been so inspired by her creation and had so much fun CASEing her!

Check out this blue beauty of hers up for her final CASE study as our muse this month:

You can check out the original post of this card, here!

I'm just gonna go right ahead and show you my card as I'm guessing it's pretty obvious what inspired me from Julie's card *wink*

Yup - pretty much everything!!! I jiggled the layout a bit and used a soft stone card-base (gotta love blue paired with that light shade of grey) but that's about it: everything else is pretty much stolen from Julie LOL! Didn't realise quite how many circular elements I managed to squeeze on just one card - check it out: interlocking circular stamp background, circular die cut shape, dotty impression plate; guess I must have a thing for circles right now...!

Now you can feel free to be totally inspired in any direction you wish by Julie's card. Why not check out what the rest of the CASE study DT took from Julie's fabby card and then join in the fun with us?

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (September's Muse)

Thanks so much for stopping by my li'l corner of Blogland!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Happy Birthday}
Stamps: Birthday Bash Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)/For the Love of Dots (Practicing Creativity)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Versamark
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Enchanted Evening, Kraft, Blueberry Sky, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Enchanted Evening Satin Ribbon, Polka Dot Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders)/Clear Gems (Zva)/Grand Calibur (Spellbinders)

Missing: Party Invite!

2011-09-27T21:40:00.007+01:00

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! (It's pretty late over here but it's still Tuesday!) hope you all had a super duper weekend! Ours was pretty fabulous filled with some fun memories to treasure from a fantastic wedding we attended down in Devon (yup - that's one fun road-trip to endure from Sheffield! Good job I can read whilst travelling and can even read a map when needed after taking the wrong turn on the motorway *wink*)

After such fun, I'm now playing catch-up on all the things I normally do at the weekend including catching up in Blogland and also finding time for an inky session. But seeing as we're already on Tuesday (nearly Wednesday!) I figured I could cheat a li'l and share a project with you that you'll find in the August 2011 issue of CARDS:

***Click picture for a larger version where you can read the text***

This project was yet another naughty li'l one that decided to dictate its own destination once it was in the post - I wonder if some random, confused stranger ended up with the original party invite - ha!

The actual project photographed is another one I had to create during the chaos of moving house. I actually started to debate whether it was worth the effort of rooting through all those boxes again trying to find my supplies and working on the world's smallest workspace to create it again followed by sitting with everything crossed that it would not only reach it's correct destination, but would reach it on an extremely tight deadline when posting from the other side of the pond...

....but, now I see it in print it was definitely worth the effort :) Thanks so much to CARDS magazine for not only publishing my work but for being super understanding when yet another one of my projects was naughty in the post!

That's all from me for now - this gal's got a lot of catching up to do and not only on Google Reader but in her ~~crafting corner~~ studio too :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Invite Deets
{it's my party!}
Stamps: Damask Designs, Birthday Bash Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)/Sentiment from Frame-It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides (Papertrey Ink)/Versamark/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides, Aqua Mist, Raspberry Fizz, Vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Provocraft)/Raspberry Fizz Grosgrain Ribbon, Tag Sale #1 Die, Limitless Layers 1 3/4" Collection Dies, Medium Scallop Border Die(Papertrey Ink)

Not a stamp in sight!

2011-09-22T05:01:00.001+01:00

Hey!

It's nearly the weekend, Peeps! It's Friday-Eve and we all know what that's time for, right?

Time for a new CASE study, time for a fab new creation to be inspired by from our muse, Julie Lacey and time feast your eyes on this beauty:

Check out the original post of this card on Julie's blog here!

I was totally inspired by the colours Julie used and the way the red totally 'pops' as well as the square shape of the card. I used both of these ideas to rustle up a wedding card:

I'm also trying to hit two birds with one stone by making my CASE study card and making a card for a wedding we're attending this weekend (ooh and found it a great way of being able to cut into some lovely new Crate Paper stash *wink*) Oh and I've just realised that there's not a stamp in sight on this card - now that makes a change!

So there's my take on the CASE study - why not check out what the rest of the CASE Study DT whipped up this week? I guarantee that after taking a peek, you'll be itching to play along with us :)

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (September's Muse)

I'm dashing off now as I've gotta get organised for the weekend. We (My guy, a friend of ours and myself) are driving to the other end of the country for our friend's wedding so I need to get my outfit sorted, my map skills up to scratch (I can never fully trust Sat Nav y'know) and get plenty of reading material for my journey as I have a feeling the guys will be sat in the front having their geek/guy chat and I'll be sat in the back left to my own devices...

...I have a feeling this journey is gonna feel longer than it actually is! LOL!

Wishing you all a fabby weekend! Thank you so much for stoppin' by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Just Married}
Stamps: None!
Ink: None!
Patterned Paper & Sentiment Sticker: Portrait Collection (Crate Paper)
Accessories: Fine Linen Grosgrain Ribbon, Pure Poppy Button, Rustic Jute Button Twine (Papertrey Ink)/Pearls (Craft Supply)/Promarker (To Colour Pearl Red!)

There's two sides to every impression plate...

2011-09-20T18:39:00.007+01:00

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! Hope you all had a fabby weekend - it went way too fast for me but I did have a good ol' clean and organise of my crafty space finally! Honestly, it was beyond shameful the state I'd let that room get into *blush*

After I'd finally tidied my ~~crafting corner~~ studio up, I then proceeded to mess it all up again to have a card to share with you today :)

I hope you're prepared to see somethin' a li'l different....

...it's still a card...

...but with a difference...

...read my lips (or my typed words in this case!):

"I used the other side of my linen and canvas impression plate...intentionally!!!"

*gasp!*

Recovered from the shock yet?

Seems like I felt the plaid side of my plate was feelin' unloved and deserved some attention for our new challenge on A Passion for Papertrey! Our new challenge is to include a tag on your card: I opted for a tiny tag (it's still a tag, right?!) for a pretty CAS birthday card. I had my nephew in mind for this card; he turns 12 soon so I'm hoping the whole "HB 2 U" sentiment still makes me cool in his books *wink*

If you're wondering how I got the decorative edge to my vertical strip of white card, I simply threaded a nestie through it and ran it through my new ♥Spellbinders Grand Calibur♥ (can I just say that I think it's love at first cut with this baby!)

So c'mon and join the fun! The fortnight runs until Oct 3rd and you need only use on PTI product on your card to qualify!

OK, tea is on the table so I'm gonna dash and gobble!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!

Card Recipe

{For You, Party, HB 2 U}

Stamps: Tiny Tags, Birthday Bash Sentiments

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Bakers' Twine, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate, Tiny Tags Die (Papertrey Ink)/Spellbinders Grand Calibur/Nestabilities

Kraft + Black = LOVE!

2011-09-15T05:01:00.001+01:00

Hey!

Whoop whoop for Friday Eve!!! I'll be soooooo happy when it's Friday evening :)

But before I skip straight to Friday evening, let's focus on Friday Eve first:

It's CASE study time of course!

We're still with our fabulous muse, Julie Lacey for September so let's take a peeky at her fab card up for the CASE study this week:

You can check out the original post of this card here!

I always think there's such an understated elegance to black and kraft - I love it! So, unsurprisingly, that's exactly what I took from Julie's creation this week for my own card:

I was also drawn the the use of silhouettes as well (and yes, I couldn't resist the sweet temptation to run my linen impression plate over this for that extra rustic feel *grin*)

Edited to add: I'm also going to enter this into The Kraft Journal challange. Thanks, Beth for giving me the heads up for that!

So there you have it: that's my own card totally inspired by Julie's card and I hope you're feeling inspired to join in the fun and play along too! Simply take any element of Julie's card, be inspired and go on a creative adventure (be sure to share it with us of course!)

And also be sure to check out what the rest of the awesome CASE study DT whipped up for ya:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (September's Muse)

Right I'm signing off for now: I've still got two days of work to keep me busy before I hope to catch up with everything here in Blogland over the weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
All PTI Products Unless Stated
{Just a Note}
Stamps: Peaceful Garden, Happy Trails
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream/Kraft/True Black
Accessories: Rustic Jute Button Twine/True Black Vintage Button, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate, Cuttlebug (Provocraft)

Hip to be square...

2011-09-13T08:00:00.001+01:00

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! I'm back into the swing of things at work now; it feels like I've never been away (but not in a bad way as I'm fortunate enough to work alongside some fabby and very funny colleagues!)

I'm posting today to show that square doesn't have to be geeky...(though I admit that I'm a fan of geek chic!)...but square can be elegant and understated as well as a graphic and cool with my approach to The Square Sketch Challenge over on Moxie Fab World.

Here's the sketch:Here's my first take:

You just never know when you may need a sympathy card so I like to whip 'em out when I don't need to make 'em as I always feel too much pressure if I have to make one on demand (fingers crossed that it'll be a long time until I need one) Twine didn't suit the style of the card so I decorated my button with bling instead.

My final take involves a spot of doodling :)

I'm on a bit of a fix with merging sentiments with images - I like they way they can inter-lock and let the design flow nicely. Speaking of which, this card continues on the inside too:

It's rare that I take the time to decorate inside a card too - I really should take the time to do it more but once I finish the front of a card, my mind is already wandering to the next project I have!

That's all from me today! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{With Sympathy}
Stamps: Dainty Doilies 2 Small (Waltzingmouse Stamps)/Round and Round (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White (Papertrey ink)/Grey (Craft Supply)
Ink: London Fog (Memento)/Versamark
Accessories: Papertrey Ink (Button, Canvas and Linen Impression Plate)/Zva (Bling)/Cuttlebug

{In my heart...}
Stamps: Wonderful Word Additions (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: True Black, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Basic White 6x6 Collection (Basic Grey)
Accessories: Promarker (Red)/Papertrey Ink (Wonderful Words Die)/Cuttlebug

Bamboo Thank You...

2011-09-10T10:30:00.001+01:00

Hey

Hooray for the weekend! Finally finding a few spare moments to catch up with myself!

I'm still managing to squeeze in some inky time during the weekends (not so much the work nights yet but I'll get there!) so here's a card for ya:

This card is for our new challenge on the Passion for Papertrey blog. We want you to be inspired by a member of the Papertrey Ink DT creation and get inky! I was inspired by the following card by Lisa Johnson:

I'm pretty sure you know why I picked this card. The green definitely spoke out to me :)

We really hope you can play along with us this fortnight!

Right I'm dashing off again. The start of the term is always super busy and if I get myself organised this weekend, it should make my week slightly less busy (Being organised is not my kinda thing, but hey, it's worth a shot, if it gives me more hours in the working week right?!)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Thank you for your kindness}
All Papertrey Ink Supplies Unless Stated
Stamps: Peaceful Garden, Iconic Images (Sentiment)
Ink: Versamark/Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Cardstock: Ripe Avocado, Fine Linen
Accessories: Dark Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon, Wooden Buttons, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)

Just because...

2011-09-08T05:00:00.000+01:00

Hey!

Happy Friday Eve! Can't quite believe my first week back at school is nearly over already (guess it helps that I didn't actually have any students until Wednesday!)

So let's celebrate that weekend coming with a shiny new CASE study:

As you know, our muse for September is the fabby Julie Lacey. I love her style: the way she layers papers and dares to leave images un-coloured has me admiring her creations so much. Wish I could resist that urge to colour but alas, the kid in me just won't let me :)

Check out this super duper card of Julie's up for CASEing this week:

You can check out the original post of this card here!

Ooooh so much to admire! The thing that grabbed me the most was the idea of that colour combo. Blue and Orange are complimentary colours on the colour wheel (they're opposite each other) which means that this was a match made in Heaven when it comes to a colour combo that works (as they say, opposites attract *wink*)

I took the colour combo, the use of a die-cut shape and a flower along with my own CAS twist to come up with this card:

Have to 'fess up that the kraft circular frame was just sittin' on my desk from a previous project but I kinda like how it makes you focus on that silhouette a bit more. I literally used it 'just because' it was there (see what I did there? 'just because'...as in the sentiment?! sorry - poor humour I know!) In fact, I couldn't really imagine the card without it now!

So here's my CAS take on this week's CASE study, how about yours? We'd love for you to join in the inky fun with us! This week, one randomly selected peep will win a $15 GC for Whimsie Doodles too!

Oooh and if you need a good dose of inspiration to kick your mojo into gear, or you just wanna check out some amazing creations then be sure to visit the rest of the CASE study DT

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (September's Muse)

Thank so much for stopping by! I know I've been a bit MIA recently so I really appreciate you stickin' around whilst I try to get used to this whole work routine again! :)

Catch ya later! (but hopefully, not too much later!)

Card Deets
{Just Because}
Stamps: Iconic Images, Round and Round (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Spring Rain, Kraft, Orange Zest (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug (Provocraft)/Mat Stack 2 Die, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Flower Paper Punch (X-Cut)/Pearl (Hero Arts)/Circle Nestabilities

Ending the holidays with a Play Date...

2011-09-04T14:00:00.002+01:00

Hey!

Well today marks the last day of my sweet summer holidays :( I find it kinda bittersweet - I enjoy the idea of meeting up again with the fabby team I work with, but these six weeks have been a blast: I've never squeezed in so much inky time before and I just know that my stamps are calling me to stay! If they had eyes, they'd be big puppy dog eyes that I couldn't resist....

But let's not get all down in the dumps. I'll still have time to get inked up during term time but I'll just have to be more organised with my time - ha!

The end of the summer hols here signal not only heading back to school, but the wedding anniversaries of mine and my guy's parents. Hard to believe that my folks have been married for over 40 years!

So two anniversary cards needed whipping up and I decided to make two identical cards. Not something I'd normally do, but it saved on time and I'll confess that I really loved how quickly this design came together from simply looking at the current Play Date Cafe Challenge:

Well this colour combo just screamed out to be used for a CAS anniversary card!

Super CAS and I'm unashamed to admit that it makes my own heart skip a little beat y'know :)

I decided on layering the heart on top of the sentiment seeing as I wanted a portrait orientation to the card. It's easy to do: simply stamp your sentiment first, layer a piece of acetate over it, place the heart where you plan to adhere it and stamp the sentiment again (the joy of clear stamps means you can see exactly where to stamp for this!) Notice that I got my impression plate the right way around for this card *wink*

And seeing as I've made this card - it seems to fit nicely into the current CAS-ual Fridays challenge.
The book that could inspire a card like this for me would have to be Romeo and Juliet. Yes, I know it's a play but we read it as a book at school :) Love totally dictates the actions of the main characters and love commands all the attention on my CAS card with that heart *wink*

Right so that's the anniversaries catered for - I now need to go pack my school bag for tomorrow (I swear I took this career path because it meant I never had to feel like I'd grown up! Do you remember having to pack your school bag the dreaded Sunday night before Monday?) . Here's hoping that I'm eased back into the routine gently with no students present tomorrow; the real fun starts when the whole school returns on Wednesday *grin*

Thank so much for stopping by and visiting me!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Anniversary Wishes}
Stamps: Frame It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Concentric Hearts Die (Provocraft)/Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Bling (Zva)