Sketch Week - Day 1

I confess: I am a sketcher.  I never used to be, but now I have discovered sketching, I am addicted.  I keep all my sketches in a notebook, and add to it almost every day.

And I sketch in a very particular way - I can't do a straight drawing - it has to be on an angle... I am strange.

So, to honour the arrival of new year, I have decided to have a week of sketching fun.

Over the next few days, I will share a new sketch and card every day or so.  I will add a link tool so you can play along with me if you wish.
AND - to make it even more fun and exciting, the lovely ladies at The Ribbon Girl (the BEST ribbon shop EVER) have just offered a fab prize for a lucky participant of TODAY's challenge: one winner will receive a metre of each of their colours of Saddlestitch Grosgrain ribbon - that's a lot of delicious ribbony goodness. Thanks girls!

SO without further delay - on to Day 1.

Here is the sketch...

And here is my card.  Totally clean and simple.
(Sorry - this one's going to be published.  Yay!)

Oh, and can you tell I have a new camera!!!  My father gave it to me.  I am SO SO lucky.  I will be experimenting with it over the next month or so... Can't WAIT!

So, play along if you'd like to be in with a chance of winning a stash of ribbon - I'd love to see what you create.  Submit entries by Friday 7th January.  And see you again soon for the next sketch.
Happy New Year!!!

Supplies

Birthday Card Set

Hello again.

It's been a while since I posted - I've been enjoying a rest from the computer and Internet for a week of family time.  It can be a bit time consuming and addictive can't it.

Anyway - today I'm sharing a card set I made for my mother for Christmas.  She's always needing birthday cards, so I made her a set of 6 cards with co-ordinating envelopes.  Lots of Hero Hues cards and Envelopes and LOTS of yummy stamps.  I used a sentiment from the new Friends are Treasures cling set, then added different background stamps and papers to each card.  I presented the cards in a Papertrey Ink box and tied it up with some Grosgrain ribbon from The Ribbon Girl.

This one used the Flowing Flowers and Leaves cling stamp.

And this one used some Papertrey Ink Distressed Dots patterned paper.

Here are all the cards together.  I also used the Music Background and Classic Fabric Background stamps.

I do love tone on tone stamping :)
Hope you are all enjoying your break as much as me.
Have a great day.

Supplies

Season's Greetings

I'm just popping in to wish you all a very merry Christmas.

I hope that you, like me, are keeping warm, enjoying festive movies and eating lots of food. :)

Here is a simple Christmas card for you all:

Love and Christmas hugs,

Lucy 

xx

Supplies

Sew Nice

I love THIS cute stamp set by Hero Arts... sweet sentiments, sweet images, just SWEET all round.

So here's a little card I made with it - a mixture of paper piecing and simple embellishments.  Oh, and I also LOVE my Fine and Dandy paper pad.

Have a happy Wednesday.

Supplies

So Thoughtful...

So today I made a card to fit in with the current Hero Arts challenge: adding shine.  The card is very much inspired by two of my card making idols, Jennifer McGuire and Tami Hartley.

I clear embossed the flower image onto some text paper, then added colour by painting with distress inks mixed with liquid pearls.  I learned this technique in a Jennifer McGuire class.  LOVE it.  And so nice to do in front of the fire.  

I hope you have a lovely day - it's absolutely freezing here... no chance of me doing anything that involves stepping outside the house, apart from feeding the birds.  Here's a couple of photos I took through the window this morning... They make me feel very festive. :)

Supplies

I ♥ Basic Grey and Hero Arts: Day 4

On my next card for my Basic Grey and Hero Arts challenge I have added an additional product: some yummy Pink Paislee paper.  This beautiful rose was calling out for a script background.

Don't you just love playing with great products.  Let me know if you've been playing with these products too - I'd love to see what you've made.
As for me, I have finished school today and have 2 weeks of fun to look forward to.  I love Christmas.
Bye for now.

Supplies

I ♥ Basic Grey and Hero Arts: Day 3

My day 3 challenge card is an all occasion card that used a gorgeous Basic Grey chipboard butterfly.  Yum.

After stitching, I used my Distress Ink Tool to ink the thread as it was a bit bright for the card.  Generally I use cream thread on my cards, but I also have an amazing set of coloured spools my mother gave me.  I love my sewing machine so much!

See you tomorrow for more.

Supplies

Sparkling Birthday Banner

Hello, and happy Wednesday.

Today I have a video and card on the Hero Arts blog.  This month's challenge is all about adding shine to your cards, so I created a glittery card, using the new Friendly Flags and Sending Smiles stamp sets.

Here is the video.

Have a great day, and check back tomorrow for Day 3 of my Hero Arts and Basic Grey challenge. :)

Supplies

I ♥ Basic Grey and Hero Arts: Day 2

Hello.

It's Day 2 of my Basic Grey and Hero Arts challenge.  And today's card is a birthday card.

I really love the cursive sentiments from the Hero Arts Sending Smiles set, they create such a lovely vintagey feel.  I added a Maya Road Journaling Tag, using the reverse of the tag rather than the front.  Love the shape.

And in case you are wondering, I've done all my Christmas cards... and have decided that I miss the summer, hence the floral themes. :)

Happy Tuesday.

Supplies

I ♥ Basic Grey and Hero Arts: Day 1

So this week I thought I'd set myself a challenge.

Take 2 companies and 4 products and make some cards.  

My chosen companies are Basic Grey and Hero Arts (of course).

And my products:

Basic Grey: Curio Chip Stickers

Basic Grey: Curio 6 x 6 Pad

Basic Grey: Curio Writers Block

Hero Arts: Sending Smiles

And here is my first card:

The cute postcard is from the Writers Block set. I just love it.  And you get lots in the pack. :)
And in case you were wondering, my distress ink of choice is Walnut Stain.  It's the one I always go for.
Thanks for visiting, check back tomorrow for Day 2.

Supplies

2011 Hero Arts Catalog Blog Hop

Welcome the reader to the 2011 Hero Arts Catalog Blog Hop.

Did you have fun at Nichol's blog?

I've had the best time playing with my brand new Hero Arts stamps.  I love each and every one!

So I got a bit carried away, and made 4 cards!  Focus = COLOUR!

First, I used the CG425: Classic Fabric Design new to create a beautiful background for this simple birthday card.  I stamped it in Soft Blossom Shadow Ink onto Carnation layering paper, then added pink gems and silk ribbon.  The sentiment is from a new Cling set, CG277: Friends are Treasures.

My second card uses the same Fabric background stamp, but I added a sweet sentiment from CL490: Sending Smiles Messages (a new favourite), and a telephone image from CL502: Just Saying Hi.  Love it.  Soft Pool Ink on Pool Notecards is just delicious.  I inked the edges with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink - a perfect match!

 I LOVED making the background for this next card. All the stamps are from CL502: Just Saying Hi.  I used Grass Layering Paper, Grass Ink and Kraft Paper.  Hero Arts Chalk inks stamp so beautifully onto their Layering Papers...

And finally, I used the sweet new Cling stamp Edged Fabric with Flowers (CG247).  I stamped it in chalk ink (Punch, Poppy, Cerulean and Grass) on white cardstock and die cut with my Nesties.  I inked the edges with matching distress ink for extra pop. The sentiment is from the Sending Smiles Messages set.

That's it!
Time to hop on...
Next stop, Ali Edwards.
Remember, if you find a link that doesn't work, you can always hop back to the Hero Arts Blog for a list of direct links to all the blogs in the hop.
Have FUN!!
And thank you Hero Arts. :)

Miss You...

Short post today - I am sick :(
Here's a card you can find in Paper Crafts Card Creations Favorite Occasions: Volume 2.  I really really love this little chair from the Vintage Lifestyle Digikit.

See you Friday for some hoppin' fun.

Supplies

Some Bunny Loves You

How adorable is this bunny stamp??  It's from a set by Clear and Simple, and they are the sponsors of the final ever Caardvarks challenge that has started today.    

To participate, you need to create a monochromatic card.  Click HERE for details.
So sad to say that Caardvarks is ending.  I just want to say a HUGE thanks to Jenyfur for asking me to be on the team all those months ago.  I've LOVED being a Vark, and it has opened so many other doors for me. I will miss it, and all the crew.
Make sure you enter, it's the last chance you'll get.

Have a fab Sunday everyone.

Supplies

Birthday Butterfly and a winner

Here's a little card I made a while ago but forgot to share. Pink, blue and yellow is such a yummy combination...  and reminds me of Summer :(

And I lurrrrve Crackle Accents.

Thanks to all of you who entered my little challenge.  I used Random.org to choose a winner, and the winner is Janet Wilson.  Email me Janet and I'll send you something fun! :)

Supplies

Three Christmas Trees

I love THIS paper pad by 7Gypsies.  All the papers are delicious.  I wanted to make a vintage-y style Christmas card with them, even though they are not Christmas papers.  I seem to have forgotten to buy ANY Christmas papers this year!  Amazing.  So I am using my non Christmas products the best way I can.


I really really love distress ink... thanks Jennifer McGuire for making my life complete!!!
Happy Monday everyone.  Any snow where you are?  It's still cold here - I am snuggling in front of my log fire with my cat.  Heaven.

Supplies:

brrr!

It's gone COLD.

(Well, cold for England anyway).

So this card puts my feelings into stamp and sticker form...

I used a digital snowflake from THIS Hero Arts kit to create the background - just recoloured it to a Sepia shade, then pasted lots of times and printed directly onto kraft card.  Easy.  The little mittens are from THIS cute HA set.  Silk ribbon and twine are from The Ribbon Girl.
Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.  Have a lovely day. :)
Happy Nearly Friday!

Supplies

all things wonderful...

Hello!  Just popping in to say hi.  I'm having a terrible week... overloaded with work!
But anyway... thought I'd share another card I made for the Craftie-Charlie blog.
This card features some of the most delicious paper from the Seaside 8 x 8 pad.  Isn't it just so pretty...  The kraft tag is the reverse of one of THESE Maya Road journaling cards.  Love them...

Hope you are having a nicer week than me!!!

Supplies

Merry and Bright

Here's another Caardvarks DT card I made with sweet MFT stamps.  I used my really old Cuttlebug Snowflake die (making this card eligible for my current challenge!!) to cut a snowflake from white cardstock.  Then I covered it in Glossy Accents and added loads of glitter.  Yum.  The beautiful silk ribbon is from The Ribbon Girl.

Check out the Caardvarks challenge here :)

Happy Weekend.

Supplies

Dear Santa

Caardvarks is hosting a new challenge, and it's sponsored by MFT.  They sent me some cute stamps to play with: an adorable little Pure Innocence girl, and THIS fabulous sentiment set.  The theme is gift card holders, and here is what I created:

Lots of yummy ribbon on this - all from The Ribbon Girl of course :)

And some coloring with my new Prismas.  LOVE them.

Check out the challenge and prize HERE.  And have fun :)

Supplies

Huge Flower

This gorgeous yellow patterned paper is more of the yumminess that is the Seaside 8 x 8 paper pad.

I thought the flowers matched the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals dies really well, so did some die cutting and layering, using cream felt and kraft card.  This is my second card for my Craftie-Charlie blog week - check it out HERE. :)

Supplies

Oceans of Joy

Craftie-Charlie, one of my fave online crafty stores, asked me to be a guest designer on their blog this week, and they sent me some yummy October Afternoon 'Seaside' supplies to play with.  Here is the card they showed yesterday:

Click HERE to see the original post. :)
Have a great day.

Supplies

Welcome Baby... and a challenge.

My sweet sister-in-law just had a little baby boy.  Can't wait to meet him.  What a great excuse to play with paper and stickers... 

I pulled out some old and new supplies for this card.  First, yummy old K&Co stickers... and second, brand new 6 x 6 My Mind's Eye Paper.  I'm in HEAVEN.  MME is my FAVOURITE paper company, and seeing their designs in 6 x 6 has totally made my month.

So, my challenge to you...

Create a card that combines OLD and NEW supplies.  And I mean old.  I've had those stickers for at least 2 years. :)  They were pretty much the first thing I bought when I started making cards.

Leave a direct link to your card here, by Monday 29th November, and I might just pick a winner or two and send them something nice.
Happy Monday.

Supplies:

Christmas Swirls

Edited to Add - Hero Arts no longer sell digital stamps so this stamp is no longer available. 

I've been playing with some new Hero Arts digikits, and creating some super simple Christmas cards.  These cards would be great for mass production as they are so easy to produce.

On this first one, I used the Xmas Swirls digikit and a sentiment from Merry Christmas Tree. 

I added lots of shiny silver gemstones... they make perfect baubles. 

And this card used the Merry and Bright Flourish Tag digikit.  So simple, just printed onto kraft and embellished.

Hope you are having as enjoyable and restful a weekend as me. :)

Supplies

Card Creations...

Look what just arrived through my door...

I'm pretty excited about this, as I have four cards published in it.  I just LOVE the layout of their magazine... so proud to be a part of it. :)

I can't share these cards yet... so for now, here's a little Miss You card I made recently...

P.S. Thank GOODNESS for Fridays...

Supplies

Love Bugs...

Just sharing a card I made using more yummy MME Alphabet Soup Chipboard Shapes... just love these ladybirds. :)  And how cute are the Playing Cards???

So happy the weekend is approaching...
More time to make more cards. :)
Hooray.

Supplies