It's still Christmas!

Hello! I'm back with another Christmas card to share, but sadly the colours are off as the beige brown shades are showing up grey - oh bu*****! I seem to be getting a slightly better internet connection since my youngest fiddled, but still have trouble getting about and linking up so wont be joining in any challenges just yet.

So here is a card I made with one of Sylvia's digi designs for Wee Stamps - do go grab them quick as the rules here in UK/Europe for selling digi images are getting complicated and until they are made clear several companies will be shutting down their stores on 31st December .. .. .. there's a link to Wee Stamps digi store on my side bar.

I've coloured with my Copic pens and added glitter for snow and glaze pen on her bauble berries. The stamped snow background should be a pale blue, ah well!  Here's my card:

I was going through my bit box and found the pretty ribbon and some punched out flowers I hadn't used so incorporated them with the die cut snowflake doily and little holly leaves, both Marianne Design dies and cut from the MD Snow paper (it's actually thick sparkly card).  The spotty background paper is actually a soft chocolate brown with pale blue dots .. .. and I've matted with old chocolate card and inked my embossed stitches with a soft brown chalk ink.  The ticket is an old digi one from Cuddly Buddly that needed using up too!

I hope you have had a lovely Christmas, it's frosty here today but the sun is shining and Izzy has discovered the joys of rolling on frosted grass!

CCT Anything Goes!

Merry Christmas!

Today it's anything goes at Cute Card Thursday, as I expect everyone is supper busy .. .. so here's a chance to share those last minute makes or anything else new you have created.  Stop by the CCT blog to read all about the prize and catch up with the rest of the DT's creations.  My last minute make is the cute LOTV little boy sleding with his dog and ooops! they come across Rudolph hiding in the woods .. .. the scenery stamps are from the Don and Daisy Winter set by Marianne Design.  I've added plenty of sparkle but then just mated in red and kept it CAS.

Here's the card:

And here's another quick CAS card I made with that naughty little PB puppy! a touch of colour from my Copic pens and some sparkle and snow, then a slivery mat and matching bow - simples!

LOTV Christmas Cards

I do love my LOTV Christmas stamps and the only problem I have with them is that I can't get them all inked up each year and made into cards!  But here are some I've been playing with and managed to create with for those last minute makes .. .. ..

Here's the first card with Christmas Carol stamp coloured with my Copic pens then a white pearl pen for the snow.  The papers are scraps of Nitwits and the die cuts are from Marianne Design with the stars cut from the MD sparkly snow paper that's actually a thick card!

And here's the second card with Gifts on the Tree, one of my new snowmen stamps so the first time inked then coloured with Copic pens.  I've added clear glaze to snowman's coal buttons and the baubles. Another scrap of paper but not 100% sure it's all Nitwits. Die cuts are again by Marianne Design with pearl pen added for the berries and centres of the flowers.

And here's the third card with My Snowman Friend, he's a new stamp for me this year but I've used it once before and think he will be a favourite as he's not too big so perfect for my smaller charity cards.  He's coloured with my Copic pens then more of the white pearl pen for snow and a scrap of Nitwits paper along with old brown card stock from my stash. The snowflake is from a Joy border die that I always have trouble cutting out, but it is a nice design and I managed to rescue this part and tuck it in.  The faux embossed stitches on all my cards are created with an old Marianne Design border die that lives permanently on my desk, then just highlighted with my favourite chalk inks.

I hope you like my easy LOTV makes, I do enjoy the colouring most of all!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you all have a

Festive Yule!
and a
Merry Christmas!

CCT Sparkles!

This week on Cute Card Thursday we are going all sparkly! My image is called Sweet Sparkles and is one of Sylvia's digi designs at Wee Stamps.  I've coloured with my Copic pens and added a sparkly border, and there's a touch of subtle sparkle on her wings and on the flowers but that just doesn't show up!  Anyway, here's the card - for more inspiration from the DT stop by the CCT blog where you'l find details about prizes too. .. ..

My background paper and the die cut embellishments are all Marianne Design.  Sorry no list as I'm having lots of issues with internet again .. .. but, I might get my son's laptop at the end of January when he hopes to upgrade so fingers crossed I can get used to typing on a smaller keyboard and will be able to sit in the lounge closer to the box of tricks!

I have shopping, baking and cleaning to do before family arrive for Christmas, so catch up with you later.

Bells and Bows for CCT

Hello again! I'm a little late sharing my DT card for this week's Cute Card Thursday challenge, just one of those days/weeks it seems when things don't always go to plan.  Anyway, here it is, another of my favourite LOTV boy stamps and I created a scene by adding in the trees from the Marianne Design Don and Daisy Winter scenery set - just a little makes it I think.  And lots of sparkle too!  Where are the bows and bells? .. .. here you go:

I've been trying to make some more cards for posting so have kept the embellishments to a minimum and fairly flat, fingers crossed the card will fit through the slot.  The holly and bells are from the Marianne Design die set COL1363, the snowflake and banner are older MD dies from my vast collection!

For details about the prize and to see the rest of the DT's creations please hop on over to the Cute Card Thursday blog.  I'm still having internet issues so find it hard to do link ups to challenges at the moment, I am trying to get all my own creations on to my Pinterest boards so do come take a look if you can.

CCT Christmas Angels

Hello again! it's been a while and although I have been busy with a little crafting I cant show you what I've been making until after Christmas .. .. just in case someone is looking!

I do have a DT card to share with you this week for the Cute Card Thursday challenge, Christmas Angels, or in my case more of a little Christmas fairy!  This is one of Sylvia's Wee stamps digi designs called Holly and she got flipped so is looking t'other way, I didn't know I could do that .. .. and probably wont be able to figure it out again. I have made a pretty card with lots of sparkle although its not always showing up, coloured with Copic markers and inked the raised embossed areas on my die cuts with an aqua chalk ink. Here's the card:

Another of the magazine papers for the background then a selection of little die cut snowflakes and hearts from Marianne Design, and the chicken wire piece too that I've glittered.  Here's the list of Marianne dies I used:
chicken wire DF3404
text banner COL1325
small snowflakes and heart (little hearts are from the middle of the bigger one) CR1256
large snowflake in top right corner LR0125

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and look at my card, I'm sorry I'm not getting a chance to visit much these days.  Izzy is doing well, he has been for the snip last week and whilst under the anaesthetic he had an x-ray of his oesophagus and a camera look at his throat.  All seems normal although we are still getting the regurgitation at times if he eats too fast, the pieces are too big (like when he found an old hide chew in the garden that Piper must have left hidden) or he is stressed by something, and there are lots of things that stress him outside the home.  Thankfully he is happy and settled here in his routine with me.

The Perfect Snowman!

As promised, here is my next CAS card created with another cute LOTV stamp, this time 'the perfect snowman'. I've been choosing stamps with dogs so I can make a few more cards for St Francis Animal Shelter.  I've coloured with my Copic pens to match the scrap of Marianne Design Scandi print paper I had left in my bit box.  Also added the falling snow with a white pearl pen and some sparkle with Stardust Stickles.  Here's the card:

Sorry for the wonky picture.  Again, just the embossed stitches around the edge of the paper, some inking, a snowflake and little gems.

I'm scheduling this one so fingers crossed you get to see it .. .. .. not sure when I will be able to afford a new pc now that I have Izzy and some vet bills to pay, thankfully he's doing much better as long as I can keep him calm and relaxed. Sometimes that's easier said than done though and any upset shortly after he's eating will be disastrous .. .. ..

CCT Stars

At Cute Card Thursday this week our theme is stars and we have Whimsy Stamps sponsoring us for the challenge.  Do stop by the CCT blog to read all about it and catch up with the rest of the DT.

The picture on the CCT blog was taken last night so the colours are not quite right, I've managed to snap again this morning as it's a relatively bright day here in North Cornwall, makes a change from the torrential rain of yesterday and my little car incident .. .. more on my Facebook page about that.

Here is the close up shot of the LOTV Mary and Joseph stamped image I've coloured with my Copics. The shades are close, but from two different sets, one BV and the other a B with a touch of the violet in it.  The camera doesn't pick up the subtleties that the eye sees!  I've added a little touch of sparkle to my stars .. .. and here is the card:

I got the embossed stars folder back in the late summer when we had a craft fair in Bodmin, but then forgot about them in the drawer .. .. good job I remembered for this week's theme.  The card is CAS with just the faux stitch embossed edge and a dark blue mat that also has a hint of the lavender about it.  It's another C6 card so will either be for Mum to send to one of her church friends or I will add it to the pile for St Francis Dog Rescue.

Well my pc is still playing up, you wouldn't believe how long it took to get these pictures added .. .. but I do have another CAS card made to share so will try and get it organised for tomorrow.  Take care, and thanks for dropping by.

Red and Green at CCT

I do apologise for the dreadful photograph! This week on Cute Card Thursday our theme is red and green, so perfect for your festive creations.  Please stop by the blog to read about the sponsor and prizes .. .. I'm writing this a day early as it's taking an age to load any pictures with my iffy internet!

I'm not getting a lot of time to myself these days but have managed to do a little colouring and used up some old magazine freebie papers by Nitwits to create a collection of cards for the St Francis Rescue centre.  Fingers crossed you might be able to see better in the individual pictures.  The images are Penny Black, all except Santa holding the puppy, I think that one is from High Hopes but as it's just naked rubber in my Christmas stamp box, I couldn't swear to it!

I tried to get the two xmas treat designs side by side, but couldn't .. ..

So, this one has the Marianne Design bells and holly die cut added for decoration, they are from die set COL1363. The berries and hearts are from my bit jar and are waste or left over pieces from other MD dies I've cut in the past.









 On this one I've die cut the greeting text from LR0225 and added the waste stars with a couple of gems.  On all the cards I've added the faux embossed stitching and inked with chalk ink, mostly a brown but once I used green.

This stamp is called Xmas Pilgrims.  The cute puppies stamp only the outline so it's up to you to decide where the markings go, thankfully the wood block mount does give you an idea!

I've added glaze to the balloon and the little waste green stars along the top, and of course glitter to the hats and for the icy snow they are skitting along!

The text across the bottom is from a Viva Decor clear stamp set, available from Cuddly Buddly.

On this card I've used a cute little stamp from one of my clear Penny Black sets, cant remember which one and with a puppy asleep on my feet I can't go and find out!

For decoration I added the waste hearts and die cut a mini poinsettia and spray of holly using Marianne Design dies.

Finally, here is Santa! I fussy cut him out then added the Lace Stickles to the trims on his suit before 3d fixing him to the card.  The little stars are more waste (feels good to use up the bits from the jar) and the tree behind santa is die cut from Marianne Design LR0136.

Well that's it. The internet packed up on me yesterday so it's been a rush to load the individual pictures this morning.  I've not taken Izzy for a walk yet, the wind is blowing a gale here so I keep putting it off, thankfully he is happy to do his business in the garden! Unfortunately he sneaked a drink of water from the can in the garden just a while ago and now is coughing a lot, I live in constant fear of aspiration pneumonia which is a common side effect for dogs with ME (mega eosophagus).  We seem to be doing so much better on the food front with no regurgitation and not always necessary to feed him upright anymore either, just slowly so still by hand.  The drinking still scares me although I notice that when he laps a few sips from puddles on our walks and then carry on, he doesn't have the cough or water regurgitation.  I also noticed that he needs to be completely relaxed during feeding, any stress is disastrous but the problem is he's scared of his own shadow half the time!  We are getting better though, and I'm having to tell him off for barking at people when we are out. The first time he cowered as though expecting to be hit, my heart nearly broke and I had to be firm with myself not to pick him up and cuddle him there and then.  He learns quickly though so hopefully a few more sessions and he will understand that there's no need to bark at people we pass - he does it to try and scare them away as he expects to be hurt .. .. so sad.

Stripes at CCT

Well that didn't last long! Today is decidedly iffy so I'd better be quick sharing my DT card for this week's stripes challenge at Cute Card Thursday.  The stamped image is another of my new LOTV stamps from the Bodmin show and with his stripy hat and scarf was a great start for the challenge theme. Iv'e coloured with my Copic pens then added liquid pearls for the falling snow and glitter at the base.

Here's the card:

The papers are by Nitwits and the die cuts made with Marianne Design dies;

mini poinsettia LR0142
holly leaves, bells and snowflake COL1363

I have a demanding spaniel trying to jump on my lap as I type so guess he needs to go water the garden .. .. and it's tipping down with rain here! Catch up later, when and if internet is working again, hugs to all!

One Layer Card

ok then, I have internet .. .. but not sure how long it's going to last so I'll be quick sharing this simple little card with you.  It was made for the CCT blog one layer challenge back in October and I used one of the cute LOTV stamps that I got at the Bodmin craft fair.  I've not been crafting much recently, what with more decorating, family ups and downs and now a new member of the family taking up so much of my time - but more about him later!

I've coloured the image with my Copic pens then added a little touch of glitter for the snow - here's the card:

I have had to stamp and colour onto my favourite smooth card then fix it to my base card, so it is a version of the one layer idea! Colouring with Copics they bleed through and my stamping card isn't substantial enough to stand on it's own anyway.  I've simply embossed the faux stitches around the edge then stamped the text to try and hide a blob of ink that must have been on my hand .. .. maybe you wouldn't notice it if I'd kept quiet!

So, a quick introduction to Izzy my new cocker spaniel friend.  I have pictures on my facebook page now and then taken with my Hudl as I can at least use that to check my emails and get onto facebook. Izzy, short for Curtis (another aeroplane make as all my cockers have been named for aeroplanes) is now a year old and was gifted into the local re-homing shelter by his previous owners as they said he was scaring their children!  The poor fellow is scared of his own shadow and yes he does bark at strangers and will go for your ankles if you're not classed as a friend and move to fast! The poor lad was kept shut away when people came to the house so has never learnt to socialise and is fearful of just about every new situation.  He was also living with his litter brother, a rather more boisterous fellow by all accounts who would scare the living daylights out of him, consequently he's also scared of other dogs.  So all in all we have some behavioural issues to contend with, plus there is a question mark over his feeding/health as he has been regurgitating allot.  I've had some expensive blood tests done to rule out anything nasty, and until he gets a camera down his throat to see what's going on the jury is out.  Thankfully the blood tests were negative for anything nasty but he has been labelled as having a large oesophagus causing the regurgitation.  He previous owners when pressed for further information just shrugged and said they thought it was because he ate too fast being in competition with his brother.  There are lots of questions as to what might have caused it, a splinter from a stick getting lodged in his throat, an injury whilst playing .. .. I doubt I will ever know the truth.  Anyway, we have the feeding sussed now, it's just the drinking that scares me when he sounds like he's choking. He is a gentle lamb with both me and Mum and loves to be cuddled, and even brushed when in the mood! He sleeps all night, is house trained, travels well in the car and is all in all a joy to have in my life, so everything else we will tackle together one step at a time.

Anyway enough for now, as I'll try to add my card for this week's CCT challenge that I've managed to join in .. .. catch up as and when .. .. and if the internet holds I might even see if there are any challenges I can link up to as well.

CCT spots and dots!

The Cute Card Thursday theme this week is spots and dots, and we are sponsored by Nikki at Bunny Zoe's Crafts.  Do stop by the blog for more info and to see the rest of the DTs creations.

Sorry I'm late posting my card for you, I am still in the middle of decorating, expecting visitors to stay overnight in the room that I'm trying to paint, and on top of it I had to re-book the car to have the cam belt and new wheels fitted as the garage hoist was broken on Monday .. .. ah well, just about on top of it all now.  I must say though, having inadvertently put the high octane fuel in the car and having new wheels, 'twas a fabulous drive back from the garage last night!

But, to my card - one of the cute digi stamp images from Wee Stamps coloured with my Copic pens, she might be an old design but she is so sweet and I keep printing her out now and again. Here is the card, unfortunately looking rather washed out as in real life its more peachy pink and aqua tones:

My paper is odds and ends from Nitwits with lots of spots and dots on it.  I've added more dots with the liquid pearls on the mat around my image as well as the centre of the flowers and the butterfly bodies and a trio top right.  And to finish things off, I used one of my new Marianne Design design folder sets to cut the chicken wire and stamped dots onto the little bits that come out.

The MD dies I used on this one are:
the chicken wire DF3404
flowers COL1323
butterflies from set LR0261
leafy sprays LR0271

Sorry I can't do any link ups, you wont believe how long it's taken me to write this post - I've made a chocolate and banana loaf whilst waiting for it to catch up! Enjoy your weekend and catch up with you all next week.

Wee Holly

This is not quite so wee Holly as she came off the printer bigger than I was expecting! I coloured her up with my Copic pens anyway and added touches of sparkle then made a card with some pieces of Nitwit papers and a die cut embellishment.  Another fairly flat card to send through the post or add to my charity box.  Here's the card:

The snowflake and bells, as well as the scallop border are all Marianne dies, please excuse me for not giving you the numbers today, I'm struggling with the internet and a thick head!  I kept myself busy at the weekend with gardening and keep forgetting that I have a bad neck .. .. it never hurts at the time I'm lugging bags of compost in and out of the car, but does for a day or two afterwards!  My car should have been in the garage today but there is a problem with the ramp that goes up and down (can't remember what they called it) so I've had to re-book for Thursday - then I get a little Smart car to drive about for a day or two, that will be fun!

Sorry, no linking up to challenges, perhaps when the internet works a bit faster and my brain cells aren't fogged I can find some .. .. My craft stash is still all packed away and as I'm still slowly decorating the guest bedroom it will probably stay in the cupboard a while longer.  I have my DT card made for CCT on Thursday so will be back then. Thanks for stopping by, and see you later in the day on Thursday.

Although I can't see any preview pictures in my blogger reading list, I did see that Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge is for colourful creations this time around, so I will try and enter my card .. ..

Dies and Punches at CCT

Good morning! It's Thursday so that means a new challenge theme on Cute Card Thursday, this week we want to see what you can create with your dies and/or punches.  Our sponsor is Rick St Dennis, sorry no link as my internet is barely crawling today.  Stop by the CCT blog to read all about it and see what the rest of the DT have created.

I've made a Christmas easel card with some of the new Marianne Design dies I've just added to my collection, plus a few from last year and a while back too.  The snow is glitter over a white Wacco pearl maker pen, thought I'd try that so it looks more like snow than just glitter on a card - what do you think?

 Here's the card looking down on the text and showing the die cut pine cone embellishment:

And here;s the card view on the CCT blog:

The spotty paper is from my stash with the faux embossed stitches around the edge inked with a pale blue Momento, I used the same ink to ink the embossed areas on the die cut rectangle and to create the snowy background and stamp the falling snow in the sky.  Lots of Marianne Design products on this one so here is the list:

fancy rectangle LR0111
tree scape CR1287
village and fence CR1288
tree in foreground, deer and lamppost COL1330
pine cone and branch LR0286
holly leaves, and snowflakes COL1363
text from SF1118 stamped onto small circle die from LR0180
snowflake sky stamp in die set COL1328

I hope you will come join in our challenge and I look forward to seeing what you create, even though I can't leave any comments until the internet connection picks up.  Likewise, I'm not linking up my card to any challenges, but hope you have enjoyed looking at it.

My Snowman Friend

After my busy weekend the last week has been a bit slow going, but I did manage to get some cards made and ignored the garden .. .. will have to do something about it this weekend though!

It was fabulous to see LOTV again at the Kernow craft fair last Saturday, I do hope they keep coming as we don't see many 'big' names down this way.  I treated myself to 4 new Christmas stamps, and this is one of them.  I've coloured the image with my Copic pens then added some flaky stuff for snow (ancient from my stash), and the falling snow I created with my white pearl maker pen.  Here's the card:

A simple little thing with a small scallop base then I just added the embossed snowflake layer with a blue mat.  The mat behind the snowman is cut from a new Nestie set I treated myself to at the fair, my excuse being it goes with the labels 1 already in my stash and used to cut out the snowman. Not sure of any challenges I can enter with this one .. .. still having issues with the internet but surprisingly I have 2 bars of signal at the moment .. .. more would be nice!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend, whatever you get up to! I have family coming for Sunday lunch tomorrow so I had better get my craft stash cleared off the dining table and sweep up the bits from the floor! Plus I forgot to get parsnips and frozen Yorkshire puds so will need to pop out - Yorkshires is something that just doesn't work with GF flour!

Awesome Autumn

This week at Cute Card Thursday we are celebrating Autumn with our regular sponsor Whimsy Stamps providing the prize - stop by the blog to read all about it and for more inspiration from the DT.

My internet is playing up again so I'll have to keep this short and sweet and hope that the pictures show up (I'm not seeing them). I've made one of my little 5" square cards with scraps of digi paper by Nitwits and stamped an old Elizabeth Bell sweetie called picking apples.  She's coloured with my Copic pens.  Here's the card:

The die cut embellishments are all by Marianne Design and I've added the stars to the centres of the flowers, they are old sticky things from my stash but I see coming back around again!  I noticed at the show last Saturday that a lot of the 'new' things are versions of stash I have from almost 10 years ago when I first started out, so glad I kept some of the smaller bits and pieces but a bit annoyed I gave a lot away in the house move, ah well!

Here's the list of Marianne dies I used:
scallop edge of middle layer cut with LR0300
green leaves and swirl LRO271
large flowers COL1323
small yellow flowers from CR1210

Can't do any linking up today so no other challenges to mention, but I might try later if the internet comes back to more than 1 bar signal strength. Thanks for stopping by and hope you will come and join in our Awesome Autumn challenge.

Marianne Design Divas Monochrome Challenge

Today is a new challenge on the Marianne Design Divas blog, and this time we would like to see your monochrome creations, with at least 3 products from Marianne Design. Two fabulous prizes and new ladies joining the design team to give a truly international flare!

I have made a card for a baby girl, so of course my monochrome colour is pink! I have used the darling Daisy baby stamp, although colouring on a different ivory card to match in with everything else wasn't as successful as my usual smooth white, but I think it has worked with a shabby look.  Here's my card:

I've covered my base with pretty paper from the Hello Sweet Baby! pack PB7041 then inked the edges.  After that there's more layers of pretty paper then lots of die cut embellishements and a pearl heart and pearl sprays snipped from the CA3109 set.  Here's the rest of the list of MD products I used for my card:

Daisy Baby stamp DDS3301

Text from baby girl clear stamp set CS0890

Vintage scallop lace JU0907

Baby word die LR0217

balloon die PP1401

birds LR0298

heart in centre COL1307

flowers from set COL1323

fronds from set LR0107

seed heads from LR0106

Thank you for stopping by, especially as I'm not blogging so much nowadays.  I have enjoyed my weekend with going to a craft fair in Bodmin on Saturday, having my eldest and his girlfriend to stay Fri/Sat and help out in the garden, then meeting up with my youngest and his family at Trago Mills on Sunday to get some odds and ends for DIY and then back to theirs for a cuppa.  Today I've been giving the wooden garden bench a coat of wood preserver - pooie! stinks a bit and looks like it might need another coat after Mat has been and mended it next weekend.  So life is slowly getting good again, my low-fodmap diet is doing wonders for my shape and weight without me having to count calories or go hungry .. .. just shows how much water my body was storing from all the foods that didn't agree with me!  I did get told off though - for having a giant safety pin taking around 4" off the back of my white cut off trousers, well I only just got them before I started the diet and need to get some use out of them before the end of summer!

Welcome to the World!

Hello!  Well, after a few weeks of stresses here I've finally managed to sit and colour in a cute image for this weeks Cute Card Thursday challenge - too cute!  Our sponsor for this challenge is Whiff of Joy, please stop by the CCT blog to read all about the prize and see the rest of the cute creations.

I've had this adorable Wee digi stamp on my pc for a while and finally got to printing off and creating something - this version in pink for a baby girl. I've coloured with my Copics, a bit of a struggle after neglecting them for so long but hopefully you like the way it turned out - here's the card:

 I've used a scallop base turned to make a tent fold, a scrap of digi paper from my stash (I think from Cuddly Buddly way back), a pretty length of lace and the various Marianne Design die cut bits and bobs to embellish.  The little text is from a MD mini stamp set, the baby girl version.  Here's the list of dies:

flowers from COL1323
skeleton leaves from LR0156
hearts from LR0299

The little domes in the centres of the flowers come clear, I just coloured with a Copic pen to match.

I see that the Divas by Design blog challenge is for anything goes so I will enter my card with them, and over at Moving Along With The Times they are looking for textures so with my lace, glitter and embellishments I hope my card fits their challenge too. I'm not sure of any other challenges as it's been a while since I was able to check things out.  Hopefully things are settling down and I can find some me time to craft again.

Checks at Christmas

I was looking down my blogger roll list just now, so very slow going, and saw that the Winter Wonderland blog challenge is to create with checks or gingham.  Righteo I thought, I've got a little something already made up that I can enter .. .. so here it is.

My card uses the LOTV snowman - I've used this stamp so many times over the past few years .. .. he is a classic!  Coloured with my Copic pens then added the faux embossed stitches and a little soft green ink to the edges.  No glitter on this one, can you believe not everyone likes it! Just a glaze on the baubles that doesn't show up.  I found a scrap of plaid paper, Nitwits freebie in a magazine ages ago, and added the faux stitched edge to it too, matted with some old SU! Sage Shadow card stock and finished off with the little dome gems in the corners. They are by Papermania, and are clear but I coloured them with a Copic pen to tie in with the colour scheme.  It's a simple little card, about all I can manage these days, and fairly flat for the post.  I'm slowly getting back to colouring as I find it quite relaxing, so good therapy .. .. I do need to get the duster out though as my desk is covered with a fine layer of dust after being left alone for several weeks.

Daisy on Ice

It's an anything goes week on Cute Card Thursday with Sunflower Field sponsoring us, please stop by the CCT blog to read all about it and for more DT inspiration.

I managed to put this cute little Daisy card together a while back using the Piroutte stamp again.  In the close up picture she looks a little wonky and admittedly the card base I cut with a Frilly #10 die has a tendency to twist a little, I think I will have to glue a hinge to the spine .. ..

Daisy is coloured with my Copic pens and then I've carefully added Crystal Stickles for festive sparkle over the swirls and around the edge, at least it doesn't matter too much if the Copic ink bleeds a little underneath.  Here's the card:


I've used a piece of paper from the MD Winter Time pad PK9100, and various die cuts for embellishment together with a scrap of MD blue lace tied in a bow and pearls made with my Wacco pearl pen.  The snowflakes, bells and holly are all on the new die COL1363, the twigs are from set LR0286.

Sorry I've not been around, things are rather strained here just now and I'm not crafting much (this is one I made a while ago).  Mum has had another heart attack and coping with her and the house/garden on my own is taking it's toll on my own health .. .. the doctor tells me I should relax, stop worrying and get out more, easier said than done! And, my pc is as unreliable as ever, thankfully I can use my new gadget to read my emails and facebook but still need the pc dinosaur to load up my pictures and write on blogs.  I'm waiting for the plasterer to come and give me a quote for finishing off the garage and a few other odd skimming jobs that never got done - then I'll have to brave the ladder and have a go at painting ceilings and hanging wallpaper myself as I've been let down by the decorator and can't find anyone else to do the work for love or money!  My youngest son Mat has offered to help, but with a young family and work he is pretty tied up, and more useful to me doing outside chores when he can come around.  My eldest has moved away to Dorset to start a new chapter in his life, wishing him much success and happiness, but I will miss you J!  Feeling rather alone and a bit down in the dumps just now so please excuse me if I'm absent for days/weeks on end.

Anything goes at Marianne Design Divas

 Hello!  I have a little Christmas card to share with you today for the Marianne Design Divas challenge of anything goes - so a nice easy one for you to show off your Marianne Design goodies.  Our sponsor is Nicki at Bunny Zoe's crafts with a £15 voucher to spend on Marianne Design goodies in her shop, and a second prize from Marianne Design - do stop by the blog to read all about it and see the stunning creations from the rest of the design team.

I just made a card, not feeling too inspired at the moment but I was pleased with how it turned out.  The base card is a small scallop square that I've turned to make a tend fold opening.  I've stamped little Daisy Pirouette and the trees from the Winter scenery for my image, then coloured with my Copics before cutting her out to fit my pretty mat. I've dusted the trees with loose glitter (not safe to use Stickles over Copic pens I've found as they make the colour bleed).  I have used crystal Stickles with a finger to go over the die cut elements so my card has lots of festive sparkle - here it is:

Here's the list of Marianne Design goodies I used on my card:

Paper pad Scandinavian Winter PB7040

stamp Daisy Pirouette DDS3336

Don and Daisy Winter scenery DDS3331

fancy mat for image CR1249

mini poinsettias LR0142

swirls snipped from LR0112

holly leaves, baubles and snowflake COL1363

I'm managing to find time to browse some blogs whilst waiting for doctors to call on Mum, and have discovered my pc will work for about 3 hours before the internet connection slows to a halt, so I'm thinking that something must be overheating.  The solution is I have to switch off for a couple of hours and then try again .. .. mind you, weekends are still an impossibility!  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will come and join in our Marianne Design Divas challenge and show off your MD goodies.

CAS at CCT

This week the theme at Cute Card Thursday is for CAS creations, and our sponsor for this challenge is Katharina at Whiff of Joy, please stop by the CCT blog to read about it and for more inspiration from the design team.

I already had the pretty LOTV Christmas spray stamped out so got colouring with my Copic pens, then simply added a stamped text, embossed the faux stitches around the edge and inked with green ink before sticking to my C6 card base.  I hope you like it.

Still having problems with the internet here, along with home issues, so not sure how often I'll be able to post a new creation.  Mum had a funny turn early yesterday morning and I had to dial 999 for the ambulance .. .. thankfully not a major heart attack although the actual cause of her pain is still a mystery.  The doctor called in the afternoon and has tweaked her meds and this morning the lovely nice nurse came and took bloods - they might show up something.  Mum refused to go into hospital for observation so I'm having to do the nursing here, and I'm pretty sure she has another wee infection too .. .. but doc wants to test for the appropriate anti-biotic - hopefully we will know what is going on and what medication to start by tomorrow.  So last night I was waking up at the slightest squeek in case she was in pain again, and with the wind blowing doors open and shut, . .. consequently I am knackered today!  On top of the other family issues I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with it all on my own .. .. anyhow, thanks for stopping by, and double thanks for leaving me a message - I'll try to return asap.

Wee Winter Friends

Been playing with my pens again and coloured up this little cutie by Sylvia Zett - this is the digi version of Winter Friends from Wee Stamps.  I've not touched my pens for a few weeks so found it a little harder going, but persevered and like the finished results.  Although, I'm not sure penguins and rabbits are purple .. .. hey! it's my Christmas fantasy, ok!


I was lacking inspiration when it came to putting the card together but found I already had the mat cut and a piece of the matching paper on a base card .. .. so cut another layer and found a scrap piece to layer up, then finished off with the die cut embellishments.

Here is the card, gone a little bent with the wet glue so I will need to try and flatten it a bit (or blame the postman/weather).  The mini poinsettia dies are from the MD LR0142 set and the mistletoe leaves from LR0189.  I've added red and white pearls to finish things off.  The patterned papers are from the MD Wintertime pad PK9100 with embossed stitch edges I've inked with brown chalk ink.  I've not seen any Christmas challenges to link up too .. .. but then looking isn't easy.  Thank you to everyone stopping by, and I do love to read comments too!

Still having internet problems here especially in the later afternoon/evenings or anytime over the weekend.  But I've got a new little gadget from Tesco with my vouchers, so instead of paying £113, I only had to pay £23!  I've figured out how to use it for reading Facebook and my emails, and even got GOT series 4 loaded from Blinkbox (couldn't wait until next February for the dvd set) although I might get a cable to link it to the TV for a bigger screen.  I've not yet learnt how to do anything else and I can't seem to get the blog listings to show or the Pinterest adding icon .. .. sometimes I feel like a techno-dino!