The Last Sassy Spotlight of 2011

I've been keeping a wee secret from you all!
I was absolutely thrilled to bits when Maria from the Simply Sassy blog emailed me to ask if I would like to be a part of the last Sassy Spotlight of the year. Maria has selected a handful of ladies that have been spotlighted on the Simply Sassy blog to take part so I'm very privileged, and of course I jumped at the chance.
Regular readers here know that my first and favourite love when it comes to stamping is a wee Scottish company called Sugar Nellie who introduced us to some wonderful designers. Of course I fell in love with the Simply Sassy range from the minute they were launched last year.


Anyway, I'm waffling here. I asked Maria if there was any particular stamp she would like me to use and her reply was "Since you're asking it would be fantastic if you use one of the boys as I really love your boys cards" . Well I did kind of groan a little, cos I think we all groan just a little when we're asked to make cards for men and boys. But I pulled up my big girl knickers (following in my crafty chum Kath's footsteps there) and got on with it. And I have to say I really enjoyed making this card, it took a wee bit longer to make but I quite like it.

 Image: Number One Fan from Sugar Nellie - coloured with promarkers and flexmarkers
Papers are MME Kraft Fun Day, Happy Days. Tim Holtz filmstrip ribbon, memo pin, tissue tape, sprocket gears and rosette die used to cut Papermania kraft cardstock, cream trim from stash

Now you must go over and see all the other Spotlighters over on the Simply Sassy blog, there's loads of inspiration and I'm so lucky to be in such great company.


I would like to enter him into:

Stampavie Demo Pt 1

Oh where does the time go? I haven't blogged in a wee while, the last week has gone by in a bit of a blur - and the next couple of weeks are going to be the same.
So what have I been up to? well this Saturday past I was demo-ing Stampavie stamps and promarkers with ultra-fine nibs and teaching a class at The Papeterie. So I thought I'd share a couple of samples today and a couple more tomorrow. I must apologise for the glare on some of the pics, I had already bagged them up before I remembered to take pictures.
This is the first stamp I chose - and the reason is, it reminds me of Princess Pepsi...

 Image: Spring has Sprung from Stampavie (the Laurence Collection), coloured with promarkers
white card from The Papeterie, embossed with cuttlebug swiss dots and Tim Holtz Rays texture fades folders. Kraft cardstock from Papermania, MS border punch and nestabilities

thanks to the ultra-fine nibs for the promarkers, I can now colour all the fine detail on stamps like these.
I'd like to enter this one into:
Diecut Dreams Challenge - 4 Legged Animals
Hooked On Craft Challenge - Cute and Cuddly
Stamp With Fun - Friends
Fab n Funky - animal magic


I don't know about you, but the hardest cards to make, in my opinion are ones for teenage boys. Now I don't suppose they would think my sentiment is particularly clever, but I hope that they would like this card...

 Image: Paul Texting from Stampavie (Mo Manning), coloured with promarkers
Papers are all MME Lime Twist - Out of The Blue, black card from The Papeterie, letters are Kaisercraft, buttons and twine from stash

I'd like to enter my texting teen into...
Fabulous Friday Challenge - buttons
Totally Papercrafts - One for the boys
My Mums Craft Shop - For A Teen


Today is my baby's birthday, she's 5! ok I know that's no longer a baby really, but she's my youngest and will always be my baby. She's had a terrific day and got thoroughly spoiled. Nana and granda were round with my nephew Kyle and of course there was the obligatory cake.
So here's a few pics of Faith's day...

Merry Go Round

These last few weeks of school are a nightmare, I don't know whether I'm coming or going. I think I'm on top of it all then I get a phonecall from the school "Scott's class is planting trees this afternoon, he'll need wellies and his permission slip", "there is a meeting NOW about Faith's teacher for next year" etc etc.
It's health week this week at school too, I'm pretty sure Scott's got swimming this afternoon, Faith has her nursery sports day this morning and Willow's class isn't doing anything particularly special - but no doubt I'll have missed a note or letter somewhere along the line.


Remember I tried my hand at the bag Anne designed for our Girls just want to have fun day? Well I thought I'd also have a go at the wee canvas that Kath designed. Well I didn't have the exact same supplies, so I changed a few things. Here's the post with Kath's original, and here's my interpretation...

I couldn't get a canvas the same size so I changed it to a larger MDF frame tile, I used different coloured paper - MME So Sophie Graceful, different stamp - Hero Arts CG251 Small Solid Flower with Tattered Rose and Vintage Photo DI's. I didn't have a branch die cut or the teeny flower punch that Kath used so I substituted a Tim Holtz flourish die cut and heart punch. I used a Prima script stamp on the paper strip and flower (which is TH tattered florals) the text stickers have been in my stash for about 3 years :)


I made this as a gift for my good friend who has just bought and moved into a new flat, so I'm hoping she'll like it.
I'd like to enter it into...
One Stop Craft Challenge - stickers
Stamp Something - pretty papers
Totally Papercrafts - diecuts & punches
Cheerful Stamp Pad - things with wings
One Stitch at a Time - things with wings
Crazy 4 Challenges - twine, floss, string
Sweet Stampin' - things with wings


I'll be back tomorrow with something exciting to share .... watch this space.

Ruby Wedding

I don't think I ever shared the mini album thingy I made for my mum and dad's ruby wedding anniversary. They celebrated 40 years of marriage at the end of November so I thought I'd make them a keepsake. 

ribbons are all from Angel Crafts or from my stash
the brown and red core'dinations card is Jenni Bowlin from Simply Create
the stamps are all Hero Arts
patterned paper is MME Lost & Found, Union Square and glitter paper from Simply Create
I just want to thank Anne at Simply Create very much for helping me select supplies for this album - Anne you were a fantastic help and the MME paper was just the perfect choice!
As you can see, I'm not much of a scrapbooker - but mum was chuffed to bits with it and dad thought the group photo was highly amusing


I'd like to enter it into the following challenges...
Allsorts Challenge - anything goes
Crafty Catz - anything but a card #41
Paper Play Challenges - anything bit a card


have you entered my xmas candy yet? only 5 days left to enter.

Xmas cards

Thankyou for all the lovely comments you left on my Sugar Nellie Sassy competition entries, unfortunately I haven't made it through to round 3, obviously I'm gutted, but I did my best and the 4 ladies who did get through are fantastically talented. So pop on over to the Sugar Nellie blog and cast your vote to help decide who wins. I don't know any of the 4 ladies who have gone through to round 4 - so I don't feel at all guilty about voting for the person who I think is the most talented and not who I'm friends with or who has begged most for votes :)


Thought I'd share a couple of xmas cards that I made with my MME I Believe kit from Simply Create and the gorgeous Hero Arts Hanging Trees and Hanging Christmas Ornaments stamps...

Hero Arts - Hanging Christmas Ornaments, paper pieced with MME I Believe papers

Hero Arts - Hanging Trees, paper pieced with MME I Believe papers. I embossed some core'dinations chocolate box card and sanded. 

Hero Arts - Hanging Trees, coloured with promarkers, papers are all MME I Believe


All supplies apart from core'dinations chocolate box used were from Simply Create

Sugar Nellie Simply Sassy Competition - Round 2

I am absolutely thrilled to bits to be through to round 2 of the Sugar Nellie Simply Sassy Competition. Karen has chosen some fantastic talent for round 2 and I'm feeling quite a bit out of my depth now. But I always like to give it my best shot, no matter how the odds are stacked.


Now, for round 2, Karen has asked us to "make a card with a Sassy stamp, I would like to see what you can do if challenged to DO YOUR THING, Do you have a style that you are most comfortable with, is it CAS, vintage, busy or glitzy. I want to see what you are good at :)"


well now, like some of the other girls have said, I don't think I really have a "style", I basically just see how I feel, sometimes it comes easy to me and sometimes I'll sit for hours and nothing works. But one thing that does seem to be a constant for me is.... I like to be just a little bit different. I think it's because I'm an Aquarian and anyone who knows an Aquarian, knows that we like to be just a little bit different. So if everyone is going for pink and girly then I'll go for blue just to be a bit different. So, just to be a bit different - I've gone for one of the new Simply Sassy boy images....

 This is Number One Fan from Sugar Nellie (he comes with Fit and Flirty) and I've coloured him with promarkers.
The papers are all MME Fine & Dandy True Blue, cardstock is a corrugated kraft card, the greeting is craftwork cards and the wee brads are papermania that I've had for absolute years.

 I think the thing I love most about these Simply Sassy stamps is that you can colour the irises of their eyes. I'm having great fun experimenting with various eye colours. I've used 3 different blues to get this effect and I think it's a bonny blue. I remember trying out coloured contact lenses a few years ago, I had lilac ones - so i think I'll have to give that a try. (hopefully it won't look like they've done an all-nighter lol)

I'd also like to enter my birthday boy into the following challenges
CES Challenges - anything but a xmas card

How to.... Penny Black Mice

Hi again and welcome to my 3rd tutorial and card for Penny Black Saturday Challenge, and this week I've coloured this gorgeous Penny Black stamp - Ode to Joy. This week there is a sketch to follow - and I so love sketches, for me it takes the hard work out of making a card.


To begin with, I've stamped the "Ode to Joy" stamp with Memento Rich Cocoa onto SU whisper white card...

And these are the colours I'll be using: Warm Grey 2 and 4, Satin, Pale Pink, Vanilla and Ivory...

I have very lightly dotted some Warm Grey 4 around the areas of the mouse that I imagine would be in shadow - I picture the light coming from the right of him so the darkest areas would be on his back...

Then I went over the areas I had just coloured, very lightly with WG2 - you can either use light feathery strokes or light circular movements. By going over what you have already coloured and moving outwards with the current colour, you will blend the 2 shades...

Next I coloured over the whole mouse with Satin, using small circular movements to blend all the shades together...

Next, I added a little Pale Pink to the inside of his ear and his cheek...

Then blended the pink in by colouring over the whole areas with Ivory...

I have repeated the steps for each of the mice... I have added more WG4, WG2 and Satin to each of the mice to give a bit more depth...

I have coloured the piano keys with Vanilla and Ivory...

And added some dimension to the music book with Satin and Vanilla then blended over the whole pages with Ivory...

And here's my finished card using the sketch...

I have used MME I Believe papers, a Nellie Snellen die, a MS wide border punch which is threaded with cream satin ribbon, greeting from Craftwork Cards.


Have you seen the fabulous designs from the Design Team? If not then hurry over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge now, why not join in and you could win fabby prizes including the promarker colours that I've used for this tutorial, which were kindly supplied by Letraset. 

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges...
Daring Cardmakers - 3 (3 mice, 3 papers, 3 flowers, 3 dewdrops)
Stampin' for the Weekend - Winter

Simply Create DT - MME Holly Jolly - again

Hiya,
back with some more MME Holly Jolly from Simply Create to share with you. Jacqui sent a jewellery box to alter as part of my kit this month and it had me stumped for a wee while. Especially when I saw what some of the other girls on the DT had done with theirs. But I decided to make a wee portable calendar with mine by removing the foam insert and replacing it with a foldy-up calendar (foldy-up is a highly technical crafters term lol)
So I covered and lined the box with MME Holly Jolly papers, then used some more to concertina for the calendar part, and finished it off with the beautiful red trim all from Simply Create...

Simply Create DT - MME Holly Jolly

Well I finally got around to creating with the lovely kit Jacqui sent me from Simply Create this month. It made a refreshing change actually not to have anything to colour in :)


I decided to go CAS seeing as the papers are so very pretty...

 I used the Holly corner and large bauble and greeting stamp from the MME Holly Jolly stamp set all the papers are MME Holly Jolly. I paper-pieced the bauble and added glamour dust then covered with glossy accents

 I love this deer paper, it's so masculine. I embossed the greeting and deer stamps with white detail embossing powder onto Kraft card

 This one was a wee bit more work... I stuck the 4 snowflakes from the stamp set onto my shiny new Fiskars Stamp Press (thankyou Kath) then randomly stamped them with versamark onto some white card, and embossed with white detail powder. I then coloured over the whole area with Bundled Sage distress ink, then over stamped the snowflakes again with the Bundled Sage. I used an EK Success border, more paper from MME Holly Jolly, the beautiful lacy trim and the greeting from the set. All supplies available at Simply Create

 I've been trying to do this Finnish star for ages, and it is so easy to do - all I used was 12 x 1" strips of MME Holly Jolly paper.
I also added a Tim Holtz rosette and I covered the circle in the middle first with rock candy distress stickles then with a layer of glossy accents.

Pop on over to the Simply Create blog to see all the other fabulous ideas from the rest of the DT.