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Boz Towers, Essex, United Kingdom
I'm a Red Hat Society member with a love of crafting of all sorts. A very proud mum to four fabulous children and Nan to six gorgeous grandchildren. I started work as a milliner and now have an abiding love of scrapbooking and card making.

The lovely people that drop by ~ thank you.

Monday 10 December 2012

OSAAT Challenge #143 More Than One Fold

The One Stitch At A Time Challenge Blog has a new theme this week. It's to create something with more than one fold.  This week our sponsor is Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps and the fab prize if you use a Stitchy Bear digi image is $9.00 to spend in the store. Just think how many beautiful creations you could make with that amount to spend.  You can still enter a non SBDS image and will be put into a draw to spend $3.00 in store

Well.....knowing how absolutely useless I am with scissors, craft knife or any other cutting instrument and the amount of wasted paper I was producing, I cheated and went and bought a set of triple fold cards from Papermania.  If you can't die cut it then don't bother, Jen!  Spellbinders, Marianne, Memory Box and Cheery Lynn are up there at the top of the tree for me.

The focal image of my card is this beautiful and serene digi from Teri of Delicious Doodles called Olyvia and you can find her here as well as hundreds of other beautiful designs.

I coloured Olyvia with some very pale greys and blues and the background image of trees is also a Stitchy Bear digi image I used last year called Snow Deer Scene by Ike. Lots of lovely glitter on the trees and fluffy stuff on the fur of Olyvia's dress to finish.

It was a really sunny and cold winter's day when I took the photo, that's the blue sky I've caught at the very front, really fitting for this card.

I'd like to enter the following:-

Create a Scene: Winter Scene - Week 2  
ATC's and Cards with Attitude - Anything Goes - Challenge 28 
So Artful Challenges: Bird Life - Holiday or Winter Colours

Sunday 2 December 2012

Forgetful or What!

Last week I totally forgot to post my DT card for the One Stitch at a Time challenge blog.  Our theme  was to use Fabric, Ribbon or Lace. Well, I'm not averse to putting ribbon on a guy's card and this was pure silk ribbon tied in a knot.  The image is from Barb and you can find The Black Widow right here at Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps. . 

I loved the image and had a certain person (our nephew) in mind when I saw the image,  This is one strong woman and there's no messing with her.


Tuesday 27 November 2012

One for the Boys

It was my brother in law's birthday yesterday, this is his card I made using a topper from Kanban's Gentleman's Journal.  I used a background paper called Travel the World from Create with TLC and Paulette kindly featured it on her blog.  Please pop over and follow her blog as she has some amazing images on her site and the very best place to find the right sentiment for your creations.






I love this devil-may-care attitude of this toff.

Monday 26 November 2012

Cyber Monday Sale!!!






There's a fabulous sale on over at StitchyBear Digital Stamps that's on until 5am GMT. head on over and select some of the gorgeous images available, lots and lots of Christmas designs and at half price too. 

Sunday 4 November 2012

A Note to Say 'Thank You'

I made the tag on this card along with another one a while ago and used it on this vintage style card for my beautiful sis-in-law, Helen. She is so tenderly taking care of my mother-in-law who is pretty poorly at the moment.  It was just to say 'thank you' to a very special person. 

Thank you, Hels, we love you.

I've just added a couple of corner flourishes to the card by Memory Box.  The main image is from Clarity Stamps and coloured with Promarkers.  The background is from a gorgeous large Stamp from Just Rite called Vintage Travel Map and the note is from a really useful set of vintage style stamps from Hunkydory.

I would like to enter this card into the following:

Challenges 4 Everybody: Challenge #6 Anything Goes
Eclectic Ellapu Challenge #6 ~ It's a Vintage Thing
Penny Black and More:November Challenge~Any Die Will Do 
The Crafty Pad: Challenge #195 ~ Anything Goes
ATC's and Cards With Attitude - Challenge 26 Add a Sentiment/Anything Goes  
Flonzcraft Challenge No.2 - Colour -Red/Green/Blue/Purple



So sorry but it appears Blogger is going multicoloured!



Friday 2 November 2012

Queenie's Birthday

It was the birthday of our dear Queen Red Mel back in August. Mel heads up our Red Hat Chapter.  I took a picture of her card and forgot all about posting it on the blog.  Whoops! It's the Tower for me!


The stamped image has been designed by Yvette Jordan called Burlesque for Kanban Crafts.  I decided to emboss the image with UTEE  to make it touchy/feely. I've kept the whole card monotone with just some silver highlights. I've added some fluffy maribou feathers to keep the burlesque theme. The lovely swirls are die cuts from Memory Box and there's a little sentiment from Craftwork Cards at the bottom.

I would like to enter the following:-

ATC's and Cards with Attitude - Add a Sentiment/Anything Goes ~ Challenge 26 

Card Making Mamas  - Anything Goes,  You Say

Joyful Stamper: Inspire Me Fridays #83 ~ Anything goes  

Raise the Bar #118 ~ Anything Goes 

The Stamp Man November Challenge ~ Emboss It 

Crafty Us Crazy - Challenge #29 ~ Party This Way 

Guylou's Inimitability Blog ~Tickle Me Fancy


Thursday 25 October 2012

Getting it together now.

Since losing our precious son, Paul, I haven't felt like doing anything crafty at all and the dust has been gathering on my work area. So I decided I'd tidy up and I suddenly felt like putting a card together. It's a Red Hatter's birthday this month and she loves poppies. Nothing better to bring a smile to my face than a House Mouse stamp. This stamp is from a set that I bought from Joanna Sheen's web site.


The background paper is from a digi-kit by Pink Petticoat in one of Liz's new colours of Peppermint Cream. A Memory Box poppy die sits on a piece of scrap paper cut with a frame from Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles.  The little sentiment is part of a set from Craftwork Cards.

Friday 21 September 2012

My Beautiful Son

Yesterday, I lost my beautiful son, Paul to the ravages of cancer.  We were with him to the end but his body just couldn't take any more, he was so very ill.  At peace, Paul, and forever with us.


Sunday 26 August 2012

Just a couple

With family problems my mojo has totally disappeared but I managed to make a couple in the last few weeks.

The OSAAT challenge blog featured the following card as my design team entry for the 'Back to School' challenge.  The digital stamp is called 'Miss Whiplash' by Ike and it's available from the  Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps store.  I'm sure I'll use her again.




Something I made for my mother-in-law.


A card for a lovely friend.

Sunday 5 August 2012

White plus one other color

It's that time again at the One Stitch At A Time challenge blog and our theme this week is "white plus one other colour".  Our fab sponsor this week is Bunny Zoe's Crafts and you could win a £10 gift voucher if you use one of the hundreds of brilliant Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps found right here.



Entries using a non SBDS image will be entered into a draw for a gift voucher of $3 to spend in the store.  There's lots of brand new stamps on show so hurry on over.

I chose purple as my other colour and coloured this gorgeous image from Ike at SBDS and you can find it here.  The leaves and flowers are a mix of Memory Box (for the border and rolled flowers) and Marianne and Spellbinders dies for the leaves.  I've coloured the image with a mix of Copics and Promarkers.

I would like to enter the following:-




Wednesday 1 August 2012

First Birthday in August

It's one of our chapter member's birthday tomorrow and one of several this month.  This is the little card I've sent.  I am loving these Kanban Steampunk stamps, they go so when with some of the other vintage items I've been buying recently.


The other two stamps I've used are form Crafty Individuals and a lovely flourish from Memory Box.

Saturday 28 July 2012

Sisters.

It was my very own sister's birthday yesterday and also my beautiful sis-in-law's too. 

My sister loves a cup of tea, a biscuit or two and a good yak! so It just had to be this part of a collection by Kanban for her card. 

Happy birthday, Doffry!

My beautiful sis-in-law loved her card and it was a so her with all the elements on it as she was and still is very occasionally a bridal-wear designer. 

The main background paper is from a pad called Bookprint by Papermania.  The two mats are stamps by Crafty Individuals whose stamps are so perfect for anything vintage. The dress is a stamp by Kanban that sums Hels up perfectly as she was well-known for her corset designs.  I've used some  Spellbinders die cuts for the pin cushion, scissors and thimble.  The tiny cotton reel I've had for ages, it came with some bits and pieces I bought when I was making ATC's.  Lots of fun had dyeing seam binding with ink and Cosmic Shimmer Mists.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

A July Birthday

Just a simple little card made for a Red Hat friend.  I love these pre-printed LOTV squares, they are gorgeous.

The card edge has been inked over with a Satin coloured Promarker and I've used a piece of Papermania's Portobello Road collection and the popped the LOTV square on top. I've cut a couple of Spellbinders Anemone Flower die cuts at the top of the card and added a button and bow. A simple SU scalloped oval punch and a Craftwork Cards sentiment to finish and flat enough to go as a large letter.


Tuesday 24 July 2012

OSAAT Challenge Time Again

It's that time again for a new challenge over at the One Stitch At A Time blog.

Our lovely sponsor this week is:-
 

with a fabulous prize of £10 voucher to spend in the Joanna Sheen store for the lucky person's entry using a Stitchy Bear image purchased from the shop right here.

There are hundreds and hundreds of prize winning and gorgeous digital images to choose from and lots of fabulous designers.  The runner-up prize chosen from the non-Stitchy creation will be placed in a draw for a $3 prize to spend in the Stitchy Bear store.

For my card I chose to use Dolphin Jump by Floppy Latte Designs, isn't this a perfect image for the theme this week of Sports/Olympic Colours.  As soon as I saw it I thought of synchronised swimming as I've been lucky to see dolphins swimming in the wild.  I took the image and copied it and then flipped it so that I could line it up perfectly side by side.  Just a simple mat and layer effect because it is all about this brilliant image and the Olympics.  I added ribbon and a few card candy to finish.


Go Cav, go Wiggie, go Froomie, do us proud with gold medals in the Velodrome!

I'd like to enter the following:

Scrap Creations-Going Grey with Scrap Creations ~ Water 

My Time to Craft : Challenge 183 ~ Make it Wet

Try It on Tuesday : So Very British  

Creative Stamp Friends ~ Summer Sun Beach and Sea 

Cupcake Craft Challenges - Cupcake 202 ~ The Ocean



Sunday 15 July 2012

Exciting news

I am absolutely thrilled to have been mentioned on Joanna Sheen's blog and then to learn  that Sue of Beary Dust Stamps, the designer of this gorgeous image, was interested in my card. What! I am over the moon that she liked it that much that it will be winging its way across the pond as soon as possible






 
 


During the week I quickly put together a little card for one of my Red hat friends, Sue.  With all the turmoil of this week I forgot to send it so it will be with her as quickly as I can get it in the post.  It's a LOTV image trimmed to fit on a little 5" x 5" card that has been dusted with TH's Bundled Sage distress ink.  I've mounted it onto a piece of the lovely DCWV Lined Closet Stack card, which is a real favourite of mine and then onto a piece of the embossed  Linen Closet Paper.  I couldn't find a blue flower so I've used a Promarker on a flower from my Stash.  A couple of Prima leaves that I've had forever and some pearls on the edge.  The little sentiment is from Craftwork Cards and the gold backing was cut with my trusty SU oval punch.

I hope she likes it.


Sunday 8 July 2012

OSAAT Challenge #121

It's that time again for a new challenge over at the One Stitch At A Time blog.

Our lovely sponsor this week is:-
 
with a great prize of three Promarkers for the lucky person's entry that uses a Stitchy Bear image purchased from the shop right here.There are hundreds of gorgeous digital images to choose from lots of fabulous designers.  The runner-up prize chosen from the non-Stitchy creation will be placed in a draw for a $3 prize to spend in the shop.




For my card this week I chose an image from Beary Dust Stamps called Angelina.  Our Theme was Sun - yellow, circles, the sun itself.  Angelina is a gorgeous image to colour with a mix of Promarkers and Copics.  I used a simple scallop edge card and I coloured the edge of the card with yellow Promarker and added a couple of Memory Box die cuts around the edge of a sheet of First Editions Up, Up & Away papers.

I've coloured three ivory cherry blossom flowers from Wild Orhid Crafts with the yellow Promarker to match.  I've added another Memory Box die called La Rue Flourish to echo the feelers on her body. The sentiment is computer generated and it has been glued onto a Spellbinders inverted scallop circle which is great for giving a sun ray effect.  I've taken the photo in full sunlight to give some sparkle. You would think that the day we had some sun would stick in my mind but it doesn't!!!

I would like to enter the following challenges:-

Joanna Sheen Challenge: Going Round in Circles 
ATC's and Cards with Attitude #17 ~ Anything Goes

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Vintage Tag

It's my mother-in-laws birthday in a couple of months time and I've been itching to use some of the vintage and steam-punk bits and pieces I've been stashing away for some time on a card for her.  When I look back at my stash some things have been unused for three or four years so now it's time to bring them out  and have a play.  I was inking and spraying some old pages from a book and liked the look of the flowers I wanted to use.

I chose a tag to go on the front of her card and inked up a Justrite large background stamp to start with in Sepia tones and embossed it with extra fine embossing powder.  I've used a Clarity stamp you can find here and coloured her with Promarkers.  The clock face is from a steam-punk set by Kanban and the ticket die came from Whimsy stamps. Loads of Cosmic Shimmer mist and distress inks too.  The seam binding has been inked and sprayed and I've used some crochet ribbon in copper too.  There's a Marianne die flourish tucked in there as well.  A great time was had by me!


I would like to enter this card into the following challenges on websites that have given me some amazing inspiration:

Vintage udfordring #43  Use a stamp.

Clear It Out Challenge ~ 2 ribbons and Anything goes 

Everybody-Art-Challenge #199 Monochromatic Brown 

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #71 ~ Make Your Own Flowers

Make It Monday with Cupcake Cards #95 Anything Goes.

Tuesday 26 June 2012

OSAAT Challenge #119 Summer Dresses

 It's time for another challenge over at the One Stitch At A Time challenge blog.  This week our theme is 'Summer Dresses and we are being sponsored by Joanna Sheen with the winner winning a fantastic £10 voucher for her store. 

Who couldn't resist the scrummy crafty items in her store, not me, I've just spent loads this weekend. To win this fab prize the winner will be selected from those entries that use a Stitchy Bear store product on their creation.  You will find hundreds of digital images right HERE to chose from.  Those entries that do not use a stitch Bear store image will be entered into a runner up prize of $3 to spend in the store.

For my card I used a design by Stitchy called Lolitta and you can find her right here.  Can't you just imagine her in the summer, champagne glass in hand, looking cool in the heat.


I've used my Promarkers to colour her dress and added some glitter that's hard to spot in this picture.  I had to take in the very early morning light before I went out.  The background paper is a sheet from First Edition's Sweet Owl pad and the sentiment is a freebie designed by the generous Paulette of Create with TLC.  Thanks, Paulette, it was perfect timing again.  I'm sure there's a mind connection going on between myself and Paulette, I can't think of anything and then one pops up on her blog here that's perfect.




Monday 11 June 2012

Sail Away With Me


At the One Stitch at A Time challenge blog our theme this week for Challenge 117 is for 'The Man in Your Life'.   Our sponsor this week is


who are offering a smashing prize of three Promarkers to the chosen winner who uses a Stitchy Bear Digital Stamp in their design.  Please put the hash sign # after your name when linking your design to the challenge blog.

If you chose to use a non Stitchy Bear digital stamp in your design you will be entered into a runner-up draw for a $3coupon to use at Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps store.


 When selecting the image to use this week I chose this beautiful cameo by Floppy Latte Designs of a sailing boat and it can be found right here.  As I live very close to the river I see many sailing boats along our stretch of the coast and it reminded me of the Thames barges seen recently in the fantastic Jubilee River Pageant.  I was struggling to find the right sentiment for my image and I was watching a tribute to the late Robin Gibb and I wasn't aware that he and his brothers wrote 'Islands in the Stream' sung by Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers. These are some words from that song that I thought fitted perfectly with the image and as a tiny tribute to Robin Gibb.

I've simply used a black card base and mounted the image on to some sea green card from my stash.  I used a Spellbinders Edgeabilities die on a couple of strips of sea green card and added a couple of cardboard hearts.  The image and the sentiment have been dusted over with a blue distress ink to take away the starkness of the white card.

I would like to enter the following:

Creative Inspirations Challenge #116 ~ A Card for a Male 

Sentimental Sundays Challenge #106 ~ For a Special Guy

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #158 ~ Male Card

Digi Doodle Shop's Challenge #111 ~ Male Card 

Dream Valley Challenge #34 ~ For that Special Guy

Scrappy Frogs Challenge Blog ~ Celebrate Men 

The Crafty Pad #174 ~ Let's Hear It For The Boys 

Creative Card Crew #12 ~ Song Inspired

LEJ Designs #7 ~ Male Projects 

Make It Monday #93 ~ Anything Goes