Happy 2014!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

My very first new Years Resolution hasn't got off to a brilliant start, but I can't do everything all at once can I?

As you may guess my resolution was to start my blogging again and at least get it more regular than I had at the end of last year. I did want to blog more and I had lots to show you all in December, but had a slight mishap with the end of my finger and a pair of scissors.... which resulted in me spending four hours in accident and emergency to try to get it to stop bleeding! It also resulted in me not being able to type as it was painful on the end of my finger!

However. This year, I just simply haven't had the time to update my blog and get going.. but I've just rejoined the 365/30 lists page on Facebook and I'm getting ready to get going.

I love blogging - have done it for years, and I find it quite therapeutic to shove on my thoughts and just have a general chat about most things. I've sort of changed how I blog over the last few years after a few ups and downs, but I'm wanting to get back to how I used to do it, enjoy it like I used to and blog more (like I used to).

I hope you come along with me on my journey of craft, chat and other things in 2014 and I promise to be back on later to upload a few projects that I've been making for my demonstrations over the past few weeks.

Until then...Happy Crafting!

Loving the cuteness....

You know, I honestly don't know where time goes these days!!!!

I have great intentions of keeping upto date with my blogging and it just seems to lapse... but hey, here I am today with a very quick-to-make little easel card that I put together at my demo this weekend.

I love anything cute, that's for sure, and the Forever Friends bears are no exception. There is a great selection of stamps to choose from too! Bonus!!

The topper is stamped and the bases covered with the new Love range papers.

I hope you like it. Xx

Week two of Digi Choosday...

Yes, it's that time again over at the Polkadoodles blog, and it's Digi Choosday day... which means it's Challenge time, and yes, you can join in.

This week, our theme was 'FASHION DIVA' and I chose to use the fantastic Emma Canning digi image 'Cute as a Button' that you can find in the Polkadoodles store. Check out the links on the Challenge page, and the other DT's work too - loads of inspiration on there for you all to look at.

As you can see, I've chosen to use the image as the main focus on the card. Isn't she sweet? She does have a button on the image that you can colour, but I opted to add a button in to the front of the dress. I also dotted some buttons around randomly on the card just to keep in with the theme.

The flowers are a Memory Box die cut that I've had for a while and never took out the packet - pretty much the same as these cute ladybirds too! I die cut the flowers in green, then in dark pink and layered them up to create a more realistic flower colour.

I couldn't find a sentiment that I wanted to use, so I decided to print out my own on the computer. I love the font - if only I could remember which one I used!! The border was punched with a Martha Stewart punch. love this punch...!

My little Diva herself was coloured using watercolour pencils, which were blended with water, then darker shading plopped around, direct to paper. Watercolours are so forgiving that they make the perfect colouring medium for beginners as well as the more advanced.

I hope you find time to join in with our challenge this week... it would be lovely to have you take part.

Until next time... happy Crafting!

Ooooh errr... where did that time go?!

Gosh, I can't believe it's so long since I came on here to do a blog post... I really meant to come back on again mid week and sort out my post for Friday's Challenge over at the fab Polkadoodles blog, which you can find HERE. However, time got away with me once again and the past few days have just gone past in a bit of a whizz.....

Firstly though, catching up, and I should have posted this on Friday. This is my entry into the Polkadoodles challenge, which was anything but a card. I decided to make a Christmas Wreath.

I printed out the ready coloured images from the Home for Christmas CD and cut them all out with a little white border all around. I cut out a large circle and covered it with the back panel image, then cut a border and stuck all the decorations around it. I added some sparkle with Ice Diamond stickles.

I am totally loving the Polkadoodles CD's, but it's always a challenge to know which one to turn to when I want to use something.. lol.

The rest of the weekend has been taken up with my son's house move. He has just bought his house with his young lady, and they moved in on Friday. Such a wonderful day for them, but quite sad knowing that he has finally moved out for good. Still, that's a sign of getting old I guess. lol.

I hope to be back tomorrow with something else to show you. I still have my demo samples to show you too. I will catch up - this will forever be my mantra, I'm sure!

This week is quite a busy one too. I have just received my new demo kit and need to make samples with that, and also a little (!) package from Debbi Moore for a few shows that are going on this week... so keep tuned, I will let you know for definate when the shows are.

Until then... I promise I will be back soon!!!!

A new challenge.... do you fancy it?

OOOOOOOhhhhhhhh it's such an exciting day today. The new challenge over at the Polkadoodles blog is now officially up and running.

So... what is it you ask... well, it's the Digi Choosday Challenge and you can find it HERE.

If you like using digi images, and love fantastic offers, inspiration and seeing new stuff, then there's no better challenge to join in with.

I feel quite honoured to be able to design projects with these fab digi's, and for my first project I totally fell in love with this Emma Canning image, Sew and Sew.

 It was printed on white card and coloured with alcohol pens. More details on products I've used are on the blog.

Please go along and check it out. The theme this week is Anything goes... nice and easy for you for our first challenge. And we have such a fantastic Design Team too, so nip over, have a play and upload your project.

Until next time..... Happy Crafting!

Morning all....

How are we all this morning? 

It's been a rather busy weekend for me, so today, I'm having a pyjama morning. On Friday, we took a little run to Lincoln to visit my daughter who is at Uni there. We went out for a lovely meal as a late birthday treat, and didn't get home until late. Saturday, I was demonstrating the current range of Docrafts products at Gadsby's, in Lincoln. It's always a pleasure to go there and even more so when Sue and Laura are in the shop. 

Sunday, I was working down at the Dome in Doncaster with Sharon, who owns Glitter Magic. She is Debbi Moore's sister and such a lovely person, just like Debbi. It was a very early start, and late finish, but I had such a great day. It was so much fun..! So, that was my weekend... what about yours?

This morning though, I did want to come on and show you a little card that I made for Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine a few months ago. 

I was asked to create something with this beautiful stamp from Little Claire, and of course, I love to stamp, so it didn't take me long at all to say YES!

I coloured the image using promarkers and added white highlights to some of the details on the bird. I also chose to restamp and layer up the wing and flower to give it a little more dimension.

The card was embellished with die cuts and finished off with a few liquid pearls. The corner dies are some that I managed to find at the Hobbyhouse a long while ago now. Aren't they lovely?! And the holly die... well... I just love this. It's one that I often use at Christmas as it goes perfectly with most things.

I hope you like today's card. I will be back shortly with another little project for you all.

Until then......happy Crafting!

Uploaded from my phone..... aka still playing!

Evening all.... well, as you can see from the title, I'm still trying to get to grips with uploading photos from my mobile. 

These are a few cards that I've made at my demonstrations for Docrafts over the past few weeks. I'm not sure if I've featured them before, but if I have - I'm sorry, if I haven't - enjoy!

This card was made using the fantastic Poinsettia urban stamp set ... oh I can't tell you how much I love this stamp.... ! But just for a change, I've tried to zuzz it up a little by putting it with the 12 days of Christmas papers, so it has a contemporary look. Nice and bright me thought!

Here is the card in full... The greeting around the aperture was created with the lovely Noel rub on alphabet. Sweet and swirly. 

Now... I'm going to apologise for this poor little horsey being on its side... I will try to correct it tomorrow. lol. 

And lastly, (and I'm sure this was shown previously) is a sweet little Forever Friends bear. Paper pieced with the papers from the same set. The card has acetate on the front and glitterations stickers on there to give it a little bling... 

So... thats all for now. I have lots more things to share and tell you.. but that can wait for later. I'm tired, so it's off up the wooden hill for me me thinks... 

Night all!!!

A little Forever Friends love...

Awwwwww... dont you just love these little cuties? Well... you know I love all things cute, and these stamps were hard to resist.

Here, I have coloured with the Artiste brush markers and paper pieced the antlers and scarf. The artiste markers you can get in a range of colour collections and I used vintage pens to colour this little fella.

I couldn't resist using some of the lovely glitteration snowflakes and a bit of acetate too. I think it just finishes the card off.

I hope you like it. Xxx

Good morning, morning, morning.....!

How are we all...

Well, I'm taking it a bit easy this morning to be honest.. things this past week have gone past in a complete whirl!

I decided a few weeks ago that I needed to do a little bit of something for me, a little bit of something different rather than sitting making cards for others all the time, I just want to craft for me too. I'm sure that most of you crafters out there know exactly what I mean - you spend your time doing stuff for others, nothing for yourself and then wonder why!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I have joined the Polkadoodles clan, headed up by Nikky Hall, Mrs Polka herself! to do some bits and bobs... crafty time for me! Perfect!!

Work wise, things have changed a little too... I was asked to a meeting last week oop north, and I met up with Debbi Moore. I am pleased to announce that I am now working alongside Debbi and there are some fantastic plans and happenings coming up. I will also be appearing on Create and Craft with Debbi on the 17th October, so don't think I'm disappearing altogether.. lol.

Things have just gone completely chaotic for the past week, and I've been trying to get my head into gear with all the information about everything that's buzzing around... it's kinda making me thankful that I have a filofax to keep everything together. I seriously need something to keep me together most of the time anyways! lol.

So... Debbi and Nikky... two of my favourite ladies... you know, I think my life is just about perfick!

Now, before you ask... yes, I am still freelance, so I am still out and about doing my Docrafts Demo's, and last weekend had the fortunate opportunity to return to Craft Central in Derby.. however, you will know that it's now moved to Burton, and it is a FANTASTIC store... great light, great space, great staff and well, just GREAT! It's going to be a right corker of a shop when it's all finished being sorted.

I was also in Worksop at the Dukeries garden centre, and talking to one of the ladies who goes there, we may have the possibility of starting workshops in the Worksop area. So, watch this space.

I am still doing my workshops up in Ackworth, at the Garden Centre, and these are likely to be changing a little in the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled for that.. and in addition, I am also still doing my Craft class every alternate Tuesday evening.

You know, writing it all down like this makes it look like I have a pretty hectic schedule really... yes, my diary is a little chocka, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I will be back later with a little card for you.. I'm practicing posting from my phone, so will try to continue doing that to bring you inspiration as I can.

Until next time... xxx

Just trying this out..

I have just downloaded my blogger for android, so I am hoping it works... this way, I can blog whilst I am on the go!!