CCAYR November Challenge ... part deux!

I needed to do one more card for the Christmas Cards All Year Round November challenge but as I'd almost used these scraps up, I thought I might just make one more! LOL. So that's 6 cards this month!

Both are patchwork cards again & if I just had a proper sized sewing machine I'd have sewn the papers. I have one of those li'l hobby machines & you have to bend the card up to get it on to the bed ... anyway, faux stitching! The gingham ribbons are machine stitched & the end held in place by the snowflake embellie.
For my last card I have layered the ribbons on top of each other (great way to hide DST under organza ribbons). See how those paper scraps are really quite small this time? I ran an ink pad over the top of the ribbed cardstock to create the blue stripes & attached 2 snowflake sequins (more of that stash that I never use!!) with mini brads. I added a couple of the teeniest shaped buttons over the snowflake artwork on the tag & raised the word strips with foam pads ... & that's about it!
If you wanted to see the other cards I made for this challenge, go here.
As we are still early in the month, I might manage a few more cards for Christmas ... & there's still tags, gifts & decorations to do ... happy days!

Kazan's Sketch #12

A bit late with my cards for this week's challenges at 2 Sketches 4 You ... but then I didn't get back home until Thursday, so I guess I did OK! LOL. I'm in the mood for Christmas planning right now - which means looooads more Christmas cards, tags n gifty things. I've been using up my stash too & with any luck I'll get to start fresh next year cuz I'll have used up all my Chrimbo stash ... wish me luck - that's no small task! LOL.

Anyway, the first card is based on Kazan's sketch #12. All the papers/alphas/tags are from the same freebie paper pack I used in yesterday's post ... flowers n buttons from Making Memories (nearly finished this pack too) & some ribbon from my stash ... loving gingham right now!

The second card is from Joke's bonus sketch. I think this is only the second round card I have ever made ... just used a small cereal bowl to make the card base - same paper supplies again, with the addition of the larger die cut tree & holly leaves (from a random pack of freebie die cuts I have), flowers from a Making Memories freebie prize (more about that another day), some odd buttons, A Muse gems & some black Kaiser rhinestones (I love these sooooo much!)

That's me done for today - boring computer stuff to do, so I don't suppose I'll get to craft again until tonight!

Christmas Cards ... & More

Here's my last two cards (sort of) for October's Challenges at CCAYR ... yup! I'm well aware that I've only just made it in time! LOL. The first is a fab pocket card with removeable bookmark - clever stuff & totally not my idea - the instructions were republished on the CCAYR Blog earlier in the week.

We made some of these in my card making group today & the ladies had some fab alternatives ... like replacing the bookmark with a shopping list & adding a magnet to the back to keep it on the fridge, or making a perpetual birthday list by adding 12 index cards to the pocket (I'm totally stealing that idea!!) This fits the CCAYR 'Christmas Is ...' challenge: Holly ... that's my thing! Sure, I might like to think of snow (or not ... the UK gets grey slushy stuff, not the fluffy stuff that holiday cards show you!), angels, trees etc etc ... but Holly (& Poinsettias) are the thing that most make me think about Christmas!
Luuuurve this bookmark & it was so easy to make with a freebie pack of paper from one of last Christmas's mags - artwork & alphas included! A big shout out to Wendy - she had the most ideas for alternatives - look forward to seeing them IRL! LOL


Technically this one isn't a card at all but a Christmas planner. Deanne had a link to it on her blog in a previous 'Blurfing Friday' post ... you seriously need to check those out - she finds the most fabulous links! Anyway, the Inspirational Tips & Techniques blog has instructions for making a planner from file folders & I have adapted that to make mine from A4 cardstock. The site also has a link for the free downloads for all the lists n stuff - I'm hoping Deanne is gonna let me get away with using it for my final CCAYR entry ... under the non-traditional colours category, even tho' it's technically not a card. Blue & green isn't my idea of traditional & isn't particularly a combo I'd have thought of - it's that same pack of freebie papers but I have to say I do like them together. I downloaded several shopping list pages & made them into a li'l removable pad (there's a staple hidden under the ribbon holding it all together). The other lists (gift lists, gift ideas, stocking stuffers & cards) are matted onto cardstock to give them strength but could be made into more removeable pads if you need additional pages. The last page just has a li'l pocket (there's actually another on the reverse) for receipts n stuff & the whole thing ties up with ribbon.
Hoping to get the 2 sketches for you challenges made & blogged by tomorrow's deadline - love doing them but I've been away this week so haven't papercrafted at all!

2 Sketches 4 You - Bonus Sketch.

Totally loving Lisette's Bonus sketch & card on the 2 Sketches 4 You challenge blog. I had thought that I had some of the Noteworthy journal pages but I guess I haven't so I had to rethink it. Much as I'm fairly sure I have sufficient Christmas cards, I want to gift some to DH's relatives while we are there next week & I'll also be donating some to DS4's school fayre in early December ~ & anyway, I like making Christmas cards! LOL.
This card is all scraps again ... Along with a couple new embellies *smiles* ~ I just love the Prima Artful Collage flowers & leaves - think I have them in every flavour ... well a girl can't have too many flowers, right? Papers are Daisy D's & when I went to get my prima leaves, I spied that loopy ribbon trim in my lace jar ... I have no idea where (or when) I get it but it was just perfect.
Everything on this card is inked, save for the gingham cotton fabric & the lace trims: Flowers, papers & the sentiment ribbon (it was too bright & modern looking). I have a whole jar full of these printed ribbons from various Personal Shopper kits & a couple of other sources - I very rarely use them, so I thought maybe it was time I did. It's not really the sort of thing I use on layouts (although maybe I will) but they are great for cards & altered stuff ... be prepared to see them cropping up over the next month or so - I'm on a mission the clear 'em out & use 'em up!!

I'm not sure I can share the cards I made for the 2 Sketches DT Call, so I'm scheduling a post for after the announcement ... You'll be able to see them on Tuesday 4th November cuz I guess that will be OK whether I make the team or not!

2 Sketches 4 You - Laura's Sketch 11

Red & Black is one of those colour combos that I keep coming back to time & time again. I made this ladybird (from the maya road bugs chipboard) a while ago when I was playing with my flock & glitter ~ it's been sitting on my desk for weeks & this sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You was just perfect for it. The papers were also on my desk from this layout, so it seemed like a good time to clear the scraps again! The flowers are from the Petaloo Palette Of Petals Daisy Layers (Yummy Cupcake & Halloween mixes) & check out my stitching on the printed ribbons ... now didn't I say I'd got better? LOL
Actually, Laura had published some thoughts about stress on the current sketch post, particularly as we face the holiday season (happens every year, so how does it always manage to creep up & surprise us???) & that is particularly poignant for me right now. You might have noticed that I have slowed down, that I am blogging less projects ... but that those projects are maybe more complex & technique rich than before? Yup! I got sick of churning out tons of projects months ago & switched to the new do-less-&-enjoy-it here ... since then I find I'm actually crafting more - go figure! LOL.
So in November, you can expect to see a whole bunch of crafty makes & more cards ... all part of my Christmas preparations. And that's on top of the usual DT projects posted regularly. Yup! November is gonna be an exciting month!
Right now, I have a couple blog posts to do & some to schedule so you don't miss me too much while I'm away! LOL. Oh! & then there's the 2 Sketches 4 You DT to apply for - loving this blog soooo much that I'm totally up for that one! Wish me luck!!

APAAT Card Recipe Challenge #1

Sarah set the first Recipe Challenge last Wednesday & here's my card for it. Easing us in gently, the first recipe was:
~Patterned Paper
~Cardstock
~ANY embellishments you like but must be 5 or more
~Include a heart somewhere on your page/card. {this is included in the 5 embellies}

You might have noticed that I'm a bit of an embellishment junkie, so this was a breeze! Yup! a total of 16 embellies!! I used Fancy Pants Holly Jolly papers & die cuts - the printed paper flowers are Prima Artfull Collage ... I luuuurve them!

Strangely Disturbing ... But I Love It

Jorunn had to do a layout with this image for a challenge someplace & shared the result over on the APAAT Forum. It seems that I was the only one that liked the pic (or the only one to say so, at least), so she challenged me to do something with it! LOL.
I have to say that I really do like it!
The 'journaling' is part of the lyrics from 'Every Me, Every You' by Placebo ... again, slightly disturbing but I love that song. & yes, I did set light to the notepaper - easiest way to get a burnt effect is to burn it! LOL. It did raise an eyebrow or two as I stood in the kitchen setting light to things - they think I have finally flipped.
Feeling lazy again today, so if you want to know about supplies n stuff - you'll find it in the APAAT Gallery.

Made stuff again!

I made this card for the Sunday Sketch Challenge at A Page At A Time - it's a new Canadian site & possibly the forum there will be my new home! LOL. Why not join us there & say hi!!
The papers & stickers are Manhattan by Autumn leaves; A Muse sentiment stamp & gems; twine from the local 99p store.
There could just be some more tomorrow!!

Christmas Cards ... All Year 'Round??

Yesterday, I mentioned Deanne's new Christmas Card challenge blog & I just had to submit for the DT. Of late, I'm finding that I just don't make time for any personal projects so the only crafting I'm doing is for various DTs ... & I'm loving it! LOL
I'd love a place on this DT - Deanne is offering just what I need right now ... A chance to create Christmas cards using my own stash. The last thing I need is more stash & I'm all about using what I have right now ... and making the most of my scraps - perfect!
Anyway, the deal was to create a card using the blog banner as inspiration. I guess you all know that I don't do things by halves, so I have e-mailed my submission in (containing one, newly created card) & these are the other four, also inspired by the blog banner (which is lovely! LOL)
In case you were wondering how my 'creative process' works ... this is the gist of it:
The inspiration for the first card was the colours (the buttons are a blue, which doesn't seem to have photographed particularly well!) taken from the banner - & the 'tree' theme. The second uses the same basic colour scheme & a simplified version of the banner's layout. Both cards were created from various HOTP Personal Shopper scraps that I might not necessarily have put together otherwise (the blue papers I would probably have used for 'icy pastel' cards).
The third card loosely uses not the colours themselves but a version of them (pink/burgundy replacing the red & a brighter lime green) & making the stripes (from the banner's border) the focal point.
The final card replicates most of the banner's elements, much in the same way as you might with a sketch. I have used the same bright papers ... so more funky than the banner, which is soft & pretty IYGWIM? I have sanded the edges of all the elements on this one & replaced the tree trunks with buttons. For cards #3 & #4 I used Fancy Pants Holly Jolly - I have tons of scraps left over from cards & layouts, so you could be seeing them again! LOL. I'm finding the Scrapworks Rub Ons invaluable too - I have sooooo many6 colours that, so far, I seem to have the right ones for every project I do!
I'm not sure that I can share the card I submitted - but Deanne is going to make her decision real quick - so I'll be able to share by the end of the week - one way or t'other! LOL In the meantime, you seriously need to check out Christmas Cards All Year 'Round, bookmark it, add it to your reader or subscribe to posts ... or all of those options & get ready for October ... I think it's gonna be a whole lotta fun!

Day #32 - 40 Days Event

Join me over on the DT Blog today for a snappy li'l challenge! Curious? Check it out here

& don't forget to have a go at this month's challenge - you have until midnight BST to get your entries in - there's a free kit, GDT spot & snappy li'l mini album up for grabs!

More 40 Days Events!!

Well I don't know about you but I'm getting a li'l bit confused about which challenges & draws are still open! LOL.
So this extra special post ... & the challenge for day #27 is simple:

Below is a link list of all the events on either this blog, or the Crop 'Til You Drop DT blog, that are still open. All you need to do is enter any of those challenges & post your comment ON THIS POST too to be in the draw to win another bunch of All My Memories Embellies! You have until August 7th, Midnight BST to enter this one - but obviously you will also need to look at the deadline for the challenge you are entering ... if you get what I mean???

Day #25 Win Handmade Etsy Embellies - Deadline: August 8th
Day #24 What's In A Name - Deadline: July 29th
Day #23 Christmas In July - Deadline: July 28th
Day # 22 Use Your Scraps - Deadline: July 28th
Day #17 Birthday Tag - Deadline: August 8th
Day #6 'Best Birthday' Projects - Deadline: July 31st ... WIN A GUEST DT SPOT, FREE KIT & HANDMADE (by DT Member ALIX) MINI BOOK
Day #1 Link List - Deadline: August 8th

While I was putting this li'l list together, I spotted a whole bunch of prizes that haven't been drawn yet - So look out for mega-prize-posts on both this & the Crop 'Til You Drop DT blog tomorrow (which is actually today now! LOL!)

DAY 26 - 40 DAYS EVENT!

JUST A QUICK POST (AGAIN) TODAY. WE ARE OFF TO JAYNE'S WITH A FAB CHANCE AT WINNING A SCRUMMY MEMORY MASTERS BOOK (I WANT THIS!!!)
WILL BE BACK WITH STUFF TO SHARE OVER THE WEEKEND (JUST AS SOON AS I'VE CAUGHT UP WITH MY FAMILY & UNPACKED! LOL)

Day 23 - 40 Days Event

I've been taking part in a lot of 'Christmas in July' challenges of late and as I now have quite a stash my challenge for today is to make something with a Christmas theme - I have been making cards but you can enter layouts, ornaments etc if you wish!
The prize will be a set of Christmas cards in a presentation wallet - handmade by me for you to use of give as a gift.
No piccie as I forgot to take them before I left!!
Post a link to your blog/gallery & I'll draw a winner after midnight BST next Monday!!

Day 22 - 40 Days Events

As promised, this is yesterday's challenge ...
I have a big thing for using up my scraps (although I doubt I'll ever get to the bottom of them!) Today's challenge is for you to do the same: use your scraps & show me your scrappy projects - & as I love the odd multi-challenge attempt, feel free to combine this with as many other challenges as you like, LOL.
Send me a link to your gallery/blog where I can find your entry & I'll draw a winner for some scrappy stash - winner chooses the colour, so no piccy I'm afraid. This one closes midnight BST 28th July (next Monday).
Check back at 6pm for today's challenge!

FIVE Challenges in One!!

Yup! You did read that right - I'm taking multi challenge layouts to the next level! LOL
First up, Deanne Burton is hosting today's '40 Days' event. Now I don't usually enter these - doesn't really seem right as I organised the whole event, contacted our fabulous participants and all the other behind the scenes stuff ... but Deanne specifically invited me to play along - & it would be rude not to! LOL
Anyway - the challenge was to create a layout with the word 'happy' included somewhere (1) you can increase your entries into the draw by creating a completely new layout (which this one is) AND by using one of Deanne's fabulous sketches ... which brings me neatly to challenge #2 - posted yesterday, Deanne's mid-month sketch! (2)
Arty Girlz current challenge is to create something with a male theme - that's my littlest man on a playdate with a buddy in the pic (3), Colour Your World are looking for summer themed layouts with sunny colours (I think but my translation could be a bit skewed) ... so that's 4!
Last but by no means least Janean set the following blog challenge (y'all know Friday is Blog Challenge Day, right? ) on the Croppinsville blog ...
For the anagram challenge, I'll select a word. I'll then select an item or two using the first letter of the word. The remaining letters are up to you. You must then use the supplies listed along with items you selected for the remaining letters to create your project. This weeks word is: CROP.

C~
R~
O~Orange
P~

So your challenge is to use something orange. Then you'll need to come up with something for C, R and P. Hope you enjoy!
So I have: C = COSMO CRICKET (like you couldn't see that coming!) R = Red Rub Ons O = Orange P = Paper Punches (Flower & Corner Rounder)

So there you have it! total number of challenges = 5!!!!

Hey Sugar!

Absolutely fell in love with these papers: Hey Sugar! by Cosmo Cricket. Although they have love-themed journaling cards & Strip Tease titles, they are sooooo pretty you could use them for anything girly ... So I Did - & just in time for Arty Girls 'Hint Of Pink' challenge this week!!
I bought one of the American Crafts D Ring albums a while ago, as I wanted something in which I can house layouts of varying sizes (rather than having an album for each size) - It's the 6x12 layouts that are my biggest problem ... they make no sense as an album purely by size. Anyway, I've been wondering how to alter it & so haven't actually started using it - as soon as I got these papers I knew they were the ones! I had the 'Hey Sugar!' Paper Crafting Kit & I've also used a Buck Naked Button; Nursery Trim Trimmerie, Victoria Ready, Set chipboard & Doodle Rub Ons. & I LOVE IT!!
Next up, another recycled project for Arty Girlz ongoing Recycling Challenge. I bought a couple of slatted, wooden picnic tables & these li'l .75" cubes are the spacers supplied for keeping the slats the right distance apart while you screw them into place. So I made these li'l inspiration cubes for my scraproom. I used some tiny scraps from the Hey Sugar! kit, Elementary & Fleuriste Rub ons. The words I've used are: Love, Life, Idea, True, Play & PINK!!

Back again tomorrow with more!!

Fab's Big Christmas Challenge ... May

Fab's challenge for May - at 'Nutter' level is to create five Christmas cards & as I'm proud to own that title (& a couple of others beside), that's just what I've done. I've used Cosmo Cricket 'Be Good' range (last winter's release) as I had some bits left over from a previous project - & you know I'm all about using your scraps! Lots of ink too - these papers are great for a vintage, aged, distressed kinda look.
In the first card, I've used alphabutton fashions. I'd already used the 'Y' (& here comes the clever bit), so used the negative & matted it onto 'peppermint' paper to make a new one. I raised the 'J' & 'Y' on foam tape & embellished each letter with vintage Trim-Trimeree
For the next one, I matted one of the 'just your 'holiday' type' stickers, threaded with trim & layered it over a scrap of patterned paper. The letters are from the 'storytime' cigar box (watch out for the altered box later this week!)
More 'storytime' chipboard on this one - and yep! I did get the sewing machine out! LOL. My mum told me this evening that you can use it to sew fabric too - like to make clothes & stuff!! Gotta wonder what she'll come up with next ... I guess she'll be telling me you can use an iron for smoothing stuff other than paper & ribbons or something - what's that about???
Anyway, the li'l gift there is a chipboard buckle, backed with paper & a ric rac faux bow attached.
Card #4 is a li'l winter forest. Just triangular scraps on a pyramid card (I cut mine from a standard card blank).
This last card also doubles for the ongoing recycling challenge at Arty Girlz - those li'l tags inside the stocking ... they are the paper names from the barcode strips. I hand cut the stocking & raised it on foam tape. I used a black sharpie to add the dots around the edge of the sticker - a regular pen will work but sharpies dry quicker!

Sorry Di!!

This is the card that I should have e-mailed over to Di Hickman for this week's sketch. I'm having major issues with my e-mail (so much so that I've set up new webmail accounts) & what with going up to look after MIL this week, I didn't get it there ... which sucks as I really kinda like this one! Lotsa MR ribbons & stuff ... and more of those Urban Rhapsody papers!

Fab's April Christmas Cards

I actually made these cards a couple of weeks ago for Fab's challenge - but

I've been such a bad blogger of late that I hadn't got them posted. Anyway, you might remember I had been posting a lot of stuff made with Luxe Designs ... & these cards were made with some of the scraps. Certainly not your traditional crimbo cards but I do like to do something a li'l bit different. The papers, rubs & ribbons are all Luxe, gems & sentiment stamp by A Muse, Sizzix tree die & SU! snowflake punch.
There's still a bunch of A Muse goodies on sale at 75% off - check 'em out before they are gone!
& I haven't forgotten about posting my scraproom pics - the week has just got away from me a bit. I'm having a bit of a break next week ... so I'm hoping to catch up a bit then too!

CHALLENGES, COMPETITIONS & MORE FREE STUFF!!

Bit of a catch up post here - soooooo many ways to win right now!! So let's get right to it:

Crop 'Til You Drop Monthly Challenge. This month we want to see felt &/or fabric on your projects. So why not whip up a quick card, layout, altered item ... or whatever! & we positively encourage multi challenge projects, so do feel free to combine with any other challenges that you usually enter. We also are more than happy to receive multiple entries - the more projects you enter the greater your chances to win!! Need stash to get you started? Check out the webstore for felt & fabric stash!!

It's Good To Be Green - Allie Gower over at Croppinsville USA has a fabulous green giveaway up for grabs ... in a recycled box!! All you have to do is pop on over to the blog & leave a comment about your own green efforts ... & don't forget to say I sent you over! LOL. Be quick - you only have until Wed 7th May (that's tomorrow! Yikes!!)

I have a li'l RAK of my own here too! As you'll know from my previous post, I've been working on that li'l scrapping haven of mine. Can you imagine just how much stash I've rediscovered?? Anyway, the deal is that I'm gonna RAK some of that stash to you guys as it'll take me several lifetimes to use it all (& I'm a bit of a monkey for buying new stuff! LOL). All you have to do is post a li'l comment telling me your best storage tip (cuz I still have loads of stash to house!!) & I'll enter all the comments into a draw (on May 22nd - my Daddy's birthday!) Send your friends over & I'll do an extra draw for those people too - 1 entry for each person that mentions you in their post.

So good luck ... & go win stuff!!