Butterflies

Good morning all.
 Today will be spent like yesterday getting on with the wedding invites. I've finished all the evening ones and now need to make some headway into the daytime ones. Everything is ready to have the wording added and all the printing is done, so it will be cutting and sticking for a few days methinks!

Today's share is a catch up layout using photos from a holiday in 2011.

The kit was a freebie from Raspberry Road called Celebrate Spring and the layout was created in Craft Artist.

It's always difficult to get  a good photo in a butterfly house as the camera always steams up!

Challenges entered:

Digitally Sweet - butterflies

My Time to Craft - things with wings

Tsunami Rose Designs - butterflies

Carol x

Christmas Challenges (with sketches) #51

It's time for our next challenge over at CCWS and we hope you're playing along with us this year and stocking up on those Christmas cards and projects. It's the Snow Angels turn this week and it was Nicolet's turn to design the sketch this time. We are being sponsored by Alotta Rubber Stamps and the Design Team were given some images to work with.

My image is Snowman Family, I've coloured with promarkers and highlighted with stickles. Papers were a freebie from Raspberry Road. Card is finished with a sentiment and some snowflakes.

You will have to pop over to the challenge blog to see the sketch for yourself, remember to check out

 the inspiration of the other DT members whilst you're there. 

Challenges entered:

Glitter and Sparkle - lots of layers

Great Impressions - celebrate the season

Joanna Sheen - cold and frosty

Carol x

Christmas Card Club - Kerry's Sketch

Good morning all, hope you're having a good weekend. 

My weekend got a little better at teatime yesterday when Gary finally phoned - they'd been held up at the Mongolian border for 48 hours awaiting the import payment being made for the car.  Unfortunately the organisers are only able to get so much money per day so when lots of teams arrive at the border at the same time it can take a while to process them all. Luckily he phoned just after 4pm so was able to catch the fraud department at BOS before they went home at 5pm and his money was back in his account by 5.10pm. So all is well once more!

He was holed up for the night in a yurt complete with wifi in the western town of Olgii.

Onto today's card, it was Kerry's turn to pick the theme over at the Christmas Card Club and she gave us a sketch to work with. My mojo has been awol somewhat since I got home from holidays and this is my first make.

I've made this digitally using a kit from Raspberry Road. Unfortunately I can't get a photo of the actual card atm so I'm showing the digital version.

Challenges entered:

CHNC - festive food and drink

My Mum's Craft Shop - Christmas in August

Just Keep on Creating - Christmas

Creative Mondays - food

Carol x

Crafty Ann's #68 Memories are made of this

It's time for another challenge at Crafty Ann's and the theme this time is "Memories are made of this".

I've done a layout of my eldest son on his first trip to a warm beach.

I've done this layout in My Memories Suite using various colours of the Mottled Stone papers, one of the Funky papers and the buttons from the Rhapsody in Blue kit all available from  Crafty Ann's Digi Shop. The alpha shells are from Raspberry Road and the other embellishments and frames are from MMS. The layout was inspired by a sketch I found over on the Prima website. Love these photos of Gary, he was so gorgeous at this age!

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see Ann and the teams creations, you won't be disappointed.

Challenges entered:

Sentimental Sundays - summer fun

Totally Gorjuss - holiday

Celebrate the Occasion - welcome Summer

Sparkle Creations RSC - beach challenge

Deep Ocean Challenge - welcome summer

Crafts and Me - anything goes

My Mums Craft shop - about the boys

Scrapalicious USA - summertime

4 Crafty Chicks - by the sea

Carol x

Aud Sentiments #55 - Any Sentiment

A big hello to all the new DT girls here at Aud Sentiments and a sad farewell to those going on to pastures new.

Our next challenge over at Aud Sentiments is Any Sentiment, so a free rein here but do please remember your sentiment! We're being sponsored by DTSArt, who supplied images for the DT to work with. I've used fairy-pari-berry for my card.

I digitally pieced the image using a range of papers from Crafty Ann's, then printed the image several times and decoupaged it and mounted it onto a scalloped circle nestie cut from felt. I won a pile of felt last year and this is the first time I've got round to die cutting it! The paper is from Raspberry Road and was a magazine freebie. Flowers are die cut from felt again using a Marianne Designs die and I've added buttons to the centres. The Honeysuckle Vine die is from Memory Box. Card is finished with some pearls.

The green base layer is cut from a piece in my bit box from which I'd already cut an oval die, I managed to squeeze the vine from it too before I matted the backing paper onto it!!

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see my team mates take on this challenge, you won't be disappointed.

Challenges entered:

Craft Room Challenge - add fabric (felt)

Tuesday Throwdown - fabric

Crafts 4 Eternity - wonderful wings

Fairy Tale - things with wings

Simply Create Too - mother's day or feminine

Pile it On - mix your scales (strawberries)

Sentimental Sundays - whimsical

The Crazy Challenge - anything 3D (image is decoupaged)

Pixie Crafty Snippets #21 - gosh nearly forgot to link up!!

Carol x

Crafting When We Can #17 Sketch and DT call

Grrr to blogger - why is it posting scheduled posts fine one day and not the next!

It's time for a new challenge at CWWC and this time we have a fab sketch for you. We're being sponsored by Tickled Pink and the DT were given images to use. I've used Lilith for my card. I think this is my first attempt at colouring black hair - may need more practise!

• Image - Lilith from Tickled Pink
• Medium - promarkers
• Papers - from Raspberry Road (a magazine freebie)
• Dies from Spellbinders
• Buttons from Crafty Ribbons, Baker's Twine from Joanna Sheen and sentiment from Wild Rose Studio.

Here is the sketch:

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the creations of my team mates.

Challenges entered:
Get Hippity with Ippity - rain/showers
Digi Makeover - birthday
Love to Create - anything goes
The Crazy Challenge - girly
Celebrate the Occasion - happy birthday + ribbon
Ladybug Crafts Ink - birthday
Passion for Promarkers - cut it out
Ribbon Carousel - anything goes
Art Impressions - rain or shine
Totally Papercrafts - vivid colours

Carol x

Male birthday

I really struggled to find a suitable image for my brother's birthday card this year and hope this one fits the bill!

Image and sentiment from Bugaboo coloured with promarkers and background done with DI, papers are from Raspberry Road and have been distressed with my distressing tool (image and papers being used for the first time). Finished with some ribbon from my stash.

Inside has been decorated to match.

Challenges entered:

Kaboodle Doodles - where are the boys

Simon says Stamp and Show - anything goes

Digital Tuesday - use your stash

Passion for Promarkers - distressing

Crafts and Me - distressed

Southern Girls - so distressed

Stampin for the Weekend - blues and browns

Wags n Whiskers - male birthday

Sundays with Chrissy - happy birthday

Carol x

PS Don't forget I have blog candy up for grabs!

Enjoy the Journey

It's been a gorgeous day here today weatherwise. I started the day with a trip to the hairdressers, followed by a leisurely stroll home via all the craft outlets on the high street :) Bought a few scrapbooking bits and bobs. After lunch and a bit of tidying I had to take DD to the orthodontist in a nearby town, it was nice to be driving home again in daylight rather than pitch black. 

Tomorrow I've to go to Edinburgh for a follow-up appointment at the opticians for my contact lenses. So far I've not had any problems with them (apart from getting them in lol) and they're much better for driving at night than my glasses were. As Hobbycraft is only a few doors away from the optician it would be rude not to visit whilst I'm there!!

Another layout tonight - don't seem to be in the mood for cards this week so I've been messing around in My Memories Suite again.

Papers and elements are all from Raspberry Road's Seventies Styling kit.

Challenges entered:

Bird is the Word - journey

My Memories - speed scrap

Lasting Memories - digital

Paper Creations Ink - 1 image, 2 DP 3 embellies

Always Crafting Creative Mondays - anything goes

Carol x

Up, Up and Away....

Good morning everyone, hope you're all well and keeping warm and dry.

Another layout today done in My Memories Suite using free papers and elements from Raspberry Road called Seventies Styling.

Challenges entered:

Creative Craft World - scrap mat

Carol x

Keeper of the Crows

I've had a busy day moving stuff around the house today, packing china and emptying cupboards so the builders can come in next week and knock my kitchen out. Now can anyone explain why I found myself cleaning all the cupboards etc which will be thrown out!! Got to move my craft room tomorrow into the sitting room so that will keep me out of mischief.

I made this Halloween bag last night, the image has lain on my craft table for a week and luckily it still fits this weeks challenge.

The image is from Karen's Doodles and has been coloured with promarkers, the edges have been distressed with a bread knife, I've used bundled sage DI around the image and black soot DI around the edges. I've recycled a kraft bag, distressing with black soot DI. The pumpkin borders are matted onto black scalloped edge card. Quite enjoyed doing the teabag folded flower which is finished with a button. I've added a tag cut from a kraft ATC and decorated to match the bag. All the elements are from a free Crafter's Companion download except the Happy Halloween bottle top which is from Raspberry Road.

Challenges entered:

Bows and Berries - photo inspired

Cupcake Craft - Halloween

Digi Makeover - anything but a card

Hooked on Crafts - anything but a card

House of Gilli - colour challenge

Karen's Doodles - distress it

My Craft Spot - colour challenge

Paper Pretties - Halloween inpsired

Simon says Stamp and show - things with wings

Stamps & Fun = Creativity - Halloween

The Cheerful Stamp Pad - Halloween

Creative Card Crew - spooky fun

My Time to Craft - orange and black

House that Stamps Built - Halloween/Fall

I love Promarkers - autumnal colours

Truly Scrumptious - distressing

Scrapalicious USA - black, orange and purple

Pixie Dust Studio - anything but a card

Fussy and Fancy - fall/ Halloween

Our Craft Lounge - fall/ Halloween

Paper Cutz - keeper of the crows

Catch the Bug - anything but a card

One Stop Craft - anything goes

OSAAT - anything goes

Quirky Crafts - Halloween

Sparkles Forum - Halloween

Cutie Sunday - Halloween

Fresh Brewed - pumpkins

Really Reasonable Ribbon - Halloween

Cupcake Craftroom - krafty Halloween

Carol x

Trick or Treat

Well after all the LIM cards this week I thought I'd bring you something completely different. I don't really 

"do" Halloween as a rule but there are some gorgeous digi images out there and I won this cute Pumpkin Witch from Delicious Doodles. I decided to make a decoration for the house as DD is going to have a Halloween party with a few of her friends - hopefully the kitchen will have been pulled apart and put back together by then.

The main image has been digitally layered onto a free backing sheet from Jak Heath and printed onto pearlised paper and coloured with promarkers then highlighted with a gelly roll pen and mounted onto a scalloped nestie rectangle. The backing papers front and back are freebies from Bearly Mine (I've used a Martha Stewart punch on the striped one). I've used Grand Nestie scalloped circles to cut the black base and purple and copper mirri card layers. The front is finished with some flowers which I've distressed with TH black soot, lots of lovely purple fibres, a button and the letters for "treat" are "Halloween Felt Alpha" from Raspberry Road.

The back has been decorated with black ribbon, a button, some glittery monsters (from Hobbycraft) and the letters for "trick" as before. I won the pumpkin digi too from Prairie Fairy and it has been coloured in promarkers. The bat is a freebie from Dude Time Doodles and he's been coloured with promarkers and I've added a felt top hat from my stash.  I've used gorgeous orange ribbon to hang it with.

I still need a spider to finish this off - should have kept the bl**dy big one running across my kitchen floor yesterday lol.

This is my first attempt at making something purely decorative and I've rather enjoyed making it - I may get some more made before the party (I've got a whole month to do it!!) but just in case we bought some bits at M&S yesterday (hangs head in shame lol).

Thanks for your visit today and I hope you like what you see.

Challenges entered:

Cupcake - black and purple

Ribbon Carousel - add fabric (felt top hat)

Delightful Challenges - Happy Fall Y'all

The Paper Variety - home (home decor item)

Pixie Dust Studio - circles

Incy Wincy - distressing

Happileigh Scrappin - T Time (trick or treat)

Paper Sundaes - felt (top hat)

Delicious Doodles - cute as a button

Paper Pretties - use buttons

Lollipop Crafts - anything but a card

OLLC - punches and dies

Heart Song Inspirations - orange or buttons

Bearly Mine - buttons

Creative Craft Challenges - buttons and bling

Creative Stamp Friends - anything but a card

Corrosive Challenge Blog - punches and/or dies

Carol x