Nothing to do with craft

Hi all, we have just had some more visitors, this time Edward's nephew, wife and baby son Oscar, pictured with Rosanna and Morgan (how cute is he), they have had a fantastic time playing with their second cousin, especially Rosanna a real baby to baby to play with and Morgan got his cousin on board to watch some Star Wars with him, so everyone happy all round. Hopefully back to crafting soon, but got paper work to do first (sad face), thanks for looking, happy hols, take care X:)

Kellies Sketch #3 and SSCC#5

Hi all,

Last night I combined two challenges Kellie's Sketch #3 and Stampin' Sisters In Christ Challenge #5, which was to make a creation using the colours of Fall. In England hubby lived on a farm so there were plenty of hedges and in the Autumn the hawthorn bush had sloes on them, not ready for picking till Winter (great for making Sloe Gin). This image was inspired by my love of purple LOL and my flower Fairies of the Autumn book by Cicely Mary Barker, now I did spend quite some time trying to draw this beautiful fairy without any success, though hubby did stifle few giggles at each attempt! I used my SU Touch of Nature Stamp Set with all Stampin Up cardstock and most of the ribbon, will have to have a better technique at sticking ribbon down.

How cute is she?

This is the song that accompanies the picture.

Thanks for looking, happy crafting, take care AnnetteX:)

MDUC22 and Creatalicious Challenge 2

Hi all again, finally got a chance to do these challenges today, must say the idea of a jigsaw came from my son, we were sat having our evening meal, discussing school etc and I said I needed to create anything but a card, Morgan pipes up a jigsaw (which we used to do when they were little), so a jigsaw it is, so have used this beautiful Magnolia stamp (lent to me by Emma).

This first challenge is the Magnolia Down Under Challenge #22, anything but a card and the second challenge is the Creatalicious Challenge #2 which is a colour combination, using pink or plum with burgundy and green and add, lace, ribbon or fibre.

So coloured our Magnolia image in Pefect Plum, Pale Plum, Bravo Burgundy and Handsome Hunter, used crystal effects on the boots, my new kindyglitz for the wings and hat. The used some Very Vanilla and stamped the flower image from my Stampin Up Good Egg set. Used dimensional to put the magnolia on the background.

Morgan then scanned the image and made it bigger, I then glued it to some very vanilla cardstock and cut into jigsaw shape pieces.

Not sure what to call the box as I made this up, using Stampin Up Cardstock, Handsome Hunter and Bravo Burgundy, with some organza ribbon I had. I have made the box so it could be hung on a Christmas tree as a decoration.

Thanks for looking, happy crafting, take care, Annette X:)

SSCC4 & Paige

Hi all, finally got a little crafting done today, been trying to make a card for Paige for sometime but not really sure what to do, she is a 13 year old girl who has lost her arm in a boating incident, Erin has set up a challenge for crafters to send well wishes to this young girl, read all about it on Erin's blog, she has also a blog candy going too! Secondly I wanted to try the Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge #4, which was to use the sketch below:
Thanks for looking, happy crafting, take care AnnetteX:)

New addition to the family

Hi all, boy what a busy week, definately getting crafting and blogging withdrawal systems!

Finally gave in and said yes lets get a dog, to join the two rabbits and a cockatiel, mind you we were only going to look last weekend at the RSPCA Centre, and what do you know came away with this beautiful fella!

Unfortunately, he was a stray so we had to rename him, so he is now called Rusty. He is a German Shepherd X nobody seems to know what with, we think possible Labrador, any experts out there care to take a guess? They think he is possibly ten and half months, he has a beautiful nature and behaves well when treats are around LOL. We had to take him back yesterday as he kept scratting his ears, they think it is a Yeast Infection, but not ruling out earmites or could possibly be an allergy to something, so the poor thing is on two lots of ointments for his ears and two lots of tablets, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that this will cure him.

Here is Rosanna with him, been the best thing we did as she used to avoid dogs and he helped get over her fear of dogs as you can see! Just a tad bigger than the bunnies.

Hope to get some crafting done over the weekend, after the washing, ironing, cleaning, rehousing the rabbits further down the garden, so I can have the alfresco area back, we have some more visitors next week, and then more the week after so hoping to have some bbq's outside. Hope you are all well, have a fantastic weekend and happy holidays with the kids, take care, AnnetteX:)

MMSC18 and Winter Wonderland

Hi all, this has took far longer than I expected as I kept swapping papers etc, I had it in my head I had to make a shaker creation with the digital image I got from Teri's Card and Toppers, shop Delicious Doodles, great opportunity when Winter Wonderland Challenge was to have a snowman in your creation, (which I have just found out finished today, when loading this entry) I thought this could fit in with the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #18, this I finally achieved but just not quite what I had in mind but just can't think what else to do with it.
Struggled getting a good photo, behind the snowball pom pom are dazzling diamond snowflakes.

This is a close up of the snowman and cottage, the snowman is 3D, I used Dazzling diamonds for the snow when colouring etc and then used flock for the snow effect, when shaking.

Thanks for looking, happy crafting, take care, AnnetteX:)

Delicious Diva's last sketch

Hi all, just a quickie, had a busy day, been to the RSPCA and we now have a new addition to the family will post some pics soon, never got this one posted in time, unfortunately Delicious Divas are venturing on a new adventure, but their last sketch inspired me to create a scrapbooking page and this is it! Only started scrapbooking at the end of last year and must say card making has took over! Anyway this photo is over ten years old, but I love it! Kellie and Kristy's sketch just suited it. Kellie has a new challenge so pay her a visit. Good Luck girls in your new venture. Bye for Now,

thanks for looking, take care, AnnetteX:)

Stamp Something Challenge

Hi again, Final card for the Stamp Something Challenge, you had to use your favourate stamp set and at the moment it is fifth avenue, check their blog out there are some beautiful creations. Just realised my sentiment is from another stamp set, oh bother!

Really struggled getting a good photograph, the bottom photo shows the colour better Stampin Up Lavender Lace, then I decided to add an extra leaf and some crystal effects, not sure now if I should have done that, so thought you could see both. Must say I am very pleased with the colours in the Rose, especially being my fav colour, wasn't sure if it was going to work. Thanks to Debbie again for my embossed background.

Tried to get photos side by side and kept deleting one or the other, so decided to leave it as it is!

Thanks for looking, have a great day, take care, AnnetteX:)

Danni's Dream: Flutter By Wednesday #74 Challenge

Hi all, this card is for Danni's Dream: Flutter By Wednesday #74, you have to create a card with a fairy or butterfly on, using Danni's favourate colour pink, and I have a friends birthday coming up soon who just loves pink too! Must say a big thankyou to Debbie for being so generous at stamp camp and taught me how to use her cuttlebug or one of those machines and I came away with several embossed Flower images, sorry can't remember the name, LOL, what am I like! For those who haven't visited her blog check it out, she has some fantastic creations.
Thanks for looking, Happy Crafting, Take Care, AnnetteX:)

Fifth Avenue watercolouring practice

Hi all, this will be the first of three posts, being having a play the last couple of weeks with water colouring, using my Fifth Avenue set, then tried to put them together as cards challenging myself to use ribbon and dsp, still got a lot to learn.

This is for a friends 80th who loves to garden.

and thought I would show you some of the disasters, but, I was always taught if you don't succeed at first try and try again, I am sure many of you have been told this LOL.
Really would like to get the bright orange on a card next, originally wanted to use it with my purple (think the purple needs to be deeper) as I love these two colours together but just didn't work, so will come back to that another time.
Thanks for looking, Happy Crafting, Take Care, AnnetteX:)

4 in 1 Challenges, CCC56, DS6, PD16 and ACB17

Hi all, this weeks Cupcake Craft Challenge 56, is a colour challenge, Red, White and Blue, while I was thinking about it, I visited Teri's blog and came across Delightful Sketches #6, then Polka Dots #16, their challenge is Spots and Stripes and this sprung to mind, I have changed the sketch slightly, so may not qualify for that challenge but the sketch nevertheless led me to this, using Patrick Patrol Car and Muscle Superbird, digital images available from Sunshine Stamps. Also qualifies for Allsorts Challenge Blog, for allsorts of challenges, challenge #17, something for the boys. This card was created for our friend Lee whose birthday is next month, really wanted to put Muscle Superbird on the front but he just blended in with the red, so he is on the back with the Aussie Flag, they were here last month so thought it might be a momento of the hols.

this is the back, Lee loves his cars and that was my reason for getting Muscle Superbird, sorry for quality of photos but had to take them at night. Yes I have cheated, printed a flag for the back, it was fiddly enough doing a Union Jack on the front, didn't fancy a smaller one, wanted to get onto my next project, water colouring with the Fifty Avenue Stampin Up set. Hopefully will get them on later.
Thanks for looking, happy crafting, take care X:)

Finally finished Halloween Scrap Pages

Hi all, apologies cannot remember whose challenge inspired me to dig out some photos to create these two pages (some two or months ago), being new to scrapbooking I am looking through the albums and randomly picking photos to make a scrapbook album. In England we lived in a small village so halloween was excellent fun for children (big and small). We used to have a 12' x 6' window full of halloween decorations. The papers were from a kit by Karen Foster. The little characters around the edge are from using my Creative Memories halloween punch and the spider brads? Anyway the first page is for Rosanna's album
The second is for Morgan's album, I think I will leave web making to the spiders LOL. These pics are from two different halloweens.

and this was just to show you what such a cute dinosaur and witch, we used to have LOL!

Thanks for looking, happy crafting, take careX:)

Three Challenges in One, Danni's Dream, Cupcake Craft Challenge 55 and Keesh's Inkspiration Colour Challenge #12

Hi all, finally made a Wiper Card using the tutorial from Splitcoaststampers by Beate Johns, and managed to combine Three Challenges!

This is the order I found the challenges, firstly, to create a card using a Fairy or Butterfly, Danni is celebrating turning 40 and giving away blog candy, her blog is Danni's Dreams Home of Flutter By Wednesday.
Second challenge was a recipe, 1 Ribbon, 2 Papers, 3 Ribbons this was at Cupcake Craft Challenges, Challenge 55.
Thirdly is, Keesh’s Inkspiration Colour Challenge #12, using, Real Red, So Saffron, Regal Rose and Whisper White.
Check all these blogs out there are some beautiful creations to see.
Hope you are all had a great weekend.
Thanks for looking, happy crafting, take careX:

BLOG AWARD from ALICIA

How pretty is this! The lovely Alicia from Time to Create has kindly nominated me for this lovely award. Wow I am so chuffed:)

Instructions are to list five things I like and send this on to five more blogs that I like to see.

Things I like:

Spending time with my new crafting/blogging friends

Spending quality time with my family and friends

Peace and Quiet - for thinking and creating or reading a good book

Walking along the beach

The end of the evening to sit down with a glass of wine with hubby (which doesn't happen to often as he has his laptop and I seem to be blogging or crafting)

Now the extremely difficult part, everyone I follow deserves this award but, I am going to give it to the latest people that I have found, (Alicia was one of them), in alphabetical order

Chris - Twinkles Glow with Stamps

Lyn - Blackdragon's Crafts

Melissa - Creating from the Heart

Priscilla - "priscillastyles"

Teri - Teri's Cards and Toppers

Check these girls out (including the ones on my places for inspiration) they have fantastic blogs with links to more fantastic blogs, spent a good few hours the other night blogging and just completely lost track of time, but seen some extremely beautiful creations.

Thanks for looking, happy crafting, take careX:)

Creatalicious Challenge #1

Hi all, promise this will be the last post, only had this much time to craft as the cnc machine (Maizie) decided to she needed some TLC which involved $$$, so she has been out of action for a couple of days, so not one to waste an opportunity thought I would do some blogging and crafting, found a new challenge via the lovely Debbie P, at Creatalicious Challenges.

The challenge was to include the colour brown and metal, set with Father's Day in mind but that was optional.

Anyway only metal items I have are brads, so went back to one of my favourate Stampin Up sets, For Father and created this card using all Stampin Up Cardstock Close to Cocoa, Really Rust and Very Vanilla, the stamp image is coloured in using Stampin Up Watercolour Pencils and a Blender Pen. Just need to improve my printing! Must admit this card seems fairly plain to what I have been doing! Didn't know what else to do with it!

Thanks for looking, happy crafting and take careX:)

Hay Seed Hanks, Cheers for You & More

Hi again, just a quickie, have a few birthdays coming up only found out about the first one last night, so quickly whipped up a Hay Seed Hanks, digital image from Sunshine Stamps, love these images! Not going to go through the blurb, as most of you know much more than me!

The second card is for a friends fortieth, just love this Cheers for You Set and my old faithful last years in-colours.

The third is for a bit of fun, Ida at Little's Stash and Dash is celebrating a blogoversary and has three candy options on offer, one is to send her a card via snail mail, so this is the card I am going to send, her blog candy is in my side bar.

Sorry for the gaps tried to minimise them and kept deleting the pictures, so a tad frustrated!

The last isn't a card but a bunch of my shades of purple sweet peas from the garden, I was taking a picture of the cards and thought it would make a nice photo, so count yourselves as receiving an blog bunch of sweet peas, they smell absolutely beautiful.
Thanks once again for looking, Happy Crafting, Take CareX:)

A pair of Tipsy McStaggers - Allsorts Challenge - Boys

Hi all, thought I would show my Tipsy McStaggers, I managed to make today, in between the paperwork. They are from a digital image from Sunshine Stamps, check them out there are some really fantastic images in their new shop and more added each week. Also just linked to a challenge I found whilst blogging called Allsorts Challenge Blog for allsorts of challenges.

I have been having a bit of an experiment the first Tipsy McStagger (which is for our friends son's 21st) was done on Stampin Up very vanilla card stock, using Stampin Up markers to colour (not got my Copics yet! on the wish list), I have just bought my first bottle of KindyGlitz, which I used to try and give a fizz look, not too successful, so I went back too my chunky Crystal Iris Sparkles, I used Fun Flock to try and create a froth effect, then crystal effects on the tongue and eyes, the red was trying to create the morning after look LOL.

My Second Tipsy McStagger is for my dads birthday on Jan 6th, a little early but getting organised, you know how busy that time of year is! Dad will like the card but prefer a real pint of lager, so shall have to send it with a bottle or two.

This time I used Stampin Up Whisper White, same colouring technique, then Chunky Crystal Iris Sparkles for sparkly effect, this time for the froth I coloured it in slightly then covered with crystal effects.

Oh I cut them out first in case I messed up on the cutting out.

Thanks for looking, Happy Crafting, Take CareX:)

MMSC17 and Stamp Something Challenge - Animal

Hi all, what a lovely couple of days we have had with the weather, walking to school yesterday the birds were singing and collecting bits of twigs etc to make their nests, so spring is finally here! (Big smile).

So being inspired by spring this card was created, it covers two challenges in one Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #17 (see sketch below) and a new one to me, which I found when looking on Kellie's blog Stamp Something Challenge Blog which had to have an animal on the creation, hence the rabbit which I purchased last night whilst blogging on Teri's Cards and Toppers, she has a sister site called Delicious Doodles, where you can purchase this cute digital image and more (shhh).

Now I also set myself another challenge not to use purple (sad face) but yea I did it (this must be one of the reasons I love the MMS Challenges because of the Purple Sketch) LOL and also to use more patterned papers.

Materials used are:

Stampin Up DSP Tea Party, cardstock certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron and Whisper White. Stampin Up Ribbon Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink. Crystal Effects for the Eyes, Nose and Teeth, the flower brads from the mini catalogue (which our manager left on our pillows at stamp camp) and finally fun flock for the bunny tail. I also printed the image twice and raised the face, ear centres a tail.

The picture of card above is for the sketch (looks a little stunned by the flash on the camera lol), because I am not too sure if you can alter the sketch, so to the side is the finished card with a sentiment on for my daughter whom is mad about rabbits (this was modelled off Poppy, though I am told her ears and nose are not quite as pink), so already organised with her birthday card for October.

Thanks for looking, happy crafting, take careX:)

MMSC16 and MDU21

Hi all, didn't think I was going to get this finished for this weeks Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #16, the sketch is below, I have also combined it with the Magnolia Down Under Challenge #21, which is using a recipe, which I haven't done before, the recipe is:
1 Flower, 2 Ribbons, 3 Brads, 4 Papers/Patterns Papers, plus a Magnolia Stamp.
I have used Stampin Up paper from my Simple Sent Card Elements Kit, Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, More Mustard and Whisper White, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter (wings) and Crystal effects (hearts and hair tie). Various Brads and Ribbons. The magnolia was stamped at my friend's Emma.

This is the sketch Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #16.

Thanks for looking, Happy Crafting, Take CareX:)

Unchartered Territory Card

Hi all, what a fantastic time we have had with our pommie visitors, haven't talked so much in ages! So haven't had much time for craft, made this card Sunday for a good pommie friend who enjoys sailing, this is why I bought the set and it is the first time I have used it, looked a little different in my head!

Materials used:

Stamp Set Unchartered Territory (current mini catalogue)

Stampin up cardstock Sky Blue, Brilliant Blue and Glorious Green (I tried to create the different colours in the sea)

I used acetate and stamped the lighthouse and boat with Stazon Opaque Cotton White, also got a paintbrush and tried to create the tops of the waves (need to practice a lot more)

I coloured on the back of the acetate using Staedtler Lumocolor Permanent Markers.

Thanks for looking, happy crafting, take careX:)