Lili of the Valley Challenge # 117 - BINGO!

Good afternoon everyone, hope you are all well on this rather windy day... at least its not raining.... at least here in Cheshire its not!  Its a lovely autumnal day here.... the sun is shining and the leaves are blowing around in the strong gusts of wind.

Well my card today is for this weeks Lili of the Valley Challenge # 117 - BINGO!!

I have chosen gems, flowers and ribbon and lace.

The card was inspired by the very talented Bev Rochester.... if you haven't visited Bev's blog please do take a look at her amazing work........ Bev has been my biggest inspiration ever since I started card making..... she is a lovely lady and produces the most amazing creations........I can always rely on Bev's work to inspire me if my mojo goes walkabout ...... which it does.... fairly regularly!!

The image is of course Lili of the Valley, coloured with Copics and Promarkers.

Paper is Kaisercraft - December 25th

Sentiment - Lili of the Valley

Roses, Poinsettia, brad and Stamens - Wild Orchid Crafts

Snowflake - Marianne Die

Ribbon and lace from my stash

As well as amazing creations Bev also has some fabulous video tutorials... I have used 2 of them on this card..... colouring blonde hair with Copics and covering poinsettia flowers with Twinklets.

I have added little dots of Liquid Pearls White Opal around the little angels to represent snow and you cant see it very clearly from the photo but there is Stickles Gold on the angels wings and around the edges.

Well I am off to peg some washing out to make the most of this lovely sunshine and breeze, enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for your visit today.

Hugs

xxx

Twinkling Star

Good evening everyone, hope you are all well, just realised how long its been since my last post, I am a naughty blogger!!  The days just whizz by so fast, they are gone in the blink of an eye ....... at least the weather has been a bit more decent the latter part of the week but alas its not to last.... apparently its going to get colder and wetter next week....... !!

My card for today and its an easel card.... I really struggle to take photos of easel cards..... do you??  I  seem to take hundreds of photos and none of them seem right somehow.... there must be a better way ...... if anyone has any tips I would love to know.

The image is of course Lili of the Valley 'Twinkling Star'

 coloured with Promarkers with lots of Star Dust and Silver Stickles.

Delish paper is a digi download from Nitwits - Joyful Hearts

Sentiments are Lili of the Valley

Snowflake and Star are Marianne Dies

Label is Spellbinders Shapeabilities Fancy Tags

I am entering this card for this weeks challenge # 116 at Lili of the Valley where the theme is 'Warm and Cozy' - I think she looks as warm as toast in her little boots, gloves and furry coat, don't you!!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend, thank you so much for dropping by, I really appreciate it!

Hugs

XXX

Magnolia & Hanglar + Sketchy Colours Challenges

Good evening folks, hope you are all well and enjoying the same lovely weather we have had in Cheshire today.  This card I really enjoyed creating, its for the Magnolia and Hanglar Challenge number 95, which is a fab sketch by Mina.  Unfortunately I dont possess any of these gorgeous and much sought after stamps, this one I received through a stamp swap. 

The lovely papers are K&Co Classic McKenna, image I coloured with Promarkers and Prisma pencils.  When I first started stamping I used just Prismas, then moved on to Promarkers and Copics, now I seem to have reverted back to my Prismas, even better I have discovered they work beautifully together, especially using a dark Prisma pencil for shadows.

The flowers are all Wild Orchid Crafts, the smaller roses I sprayed with Old Lace Glimmer Mist and added lots of sparkle with Stickles 'Tiara'.  The lace is from my stash, the ribbon is seam binding Siam Pink, again from Wild Orchid. The sentiment is a digital download from Cuddly Buddly ~ Bits of Ivory Garden Vignettes.

I am also entering this card into Sketchy Colours Challenge # 60 ~ Pink & Biege. 

Thanks for dropping by, hope to see you again real soon!! 

Twisted Easel Wedding Card

Front view with card closed

Hello again everyone, what a beautiful day it is here in Cheshire, the sun is shining, the birds are twitterpating and the spring bulbs are poking their little heads through. Yesterday was a washout, a wet and miserable day, I think the whole of the UK was the same so it's nice to see some sunshine today, makes you feel so much better and looking forward to Spring and what follows Spring........... Summer!! Yay!!

Well today's card is a twisted easel, been itching to have a bash at one of these for ages and as its almost Spring/Summer weddings come to mind.

There are lots of tutorials out there for this shape of card but the very talented Bev has an excellent one on her blog right now if you want to give it a whirl!

• Image is LOTV, coloured with Promarkers, with lashings of Stickles Star Dust and Platinum for a bit of bling.

• The paper is Papermania Confetti

• The sentiment is Katie & Co ~ Happily Ever After.

• Flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts.

• Lace border is Martha Stewart.

• Ribbon is Siam Pink Seam Binding from Wild Orchid Crafts

That's all from me today, so enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for dropping by.

Barbara xx

The Sugar Bowl Challenge # 52

Here I am again with those gorgeous Simply Adorables images, I just love them, can you tell lol!!

This is my entry for the Sugar Bowl Challenge # 52, a sketch by Marie Therese and as I have rarely used this lovely Marianne Creatable Butterfly die I thought it was ideal for this sketch.

Two lucky winners will recieve their choice of 6 super sweet Sugar Nellie rubber stamps. To be in with a chance to win this fabulous prize just follow the sketch and perhaps add the optional theme of ...... LOVE!!

This lovely little lady, her name is Verity, has been coloured with a combination of Promarkers and Prisma's, the paper is Prima Jack & Jill Collection, loving these gorgeous papers. Edges are all distressed with Bundled Sage DI and lashings of Star Dust Stickles. The butterfly wings are also covered in Star Dust, lace and bling are from my stash.

Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of your day!

Sketch Saturday Week # 140

It's my final week as GDT for Sketch Saturday and I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as GDT and would like to thank Jilli and the rest of the fab Design Team for inviting me. This weeks challenge is sponsored by The Craft Barn and the fabulous prize is a set of Crafty Secrets Cherub Clear Arts Stamps, they really are gorgeous, wouldn't mind that set myself! Do go take a peek at the fabulous entries from the Design Team.

Onto this card and the image is Grace, one of the beautiful Simply Adorables Digi's from Funky Kits. She is coloured with Promarkers with a touch of Prisma black pencil just to accentuate the shadows a little. The papers I think are Papermania Jack & Jill, edged with Walnut DI and Star Dust Stickles. Flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. Sentiment is Lili of the Valley.

Well it's Sunday again which means a busy day with family and sunday roast...... roast beef and yorkshire puds with lashings of delicious gravy, roast honey parsnips, buttered carrots, juicy broccoli, yummy, yummy, making you hungry LOL ???!!

Will be back later with a card for the LOTV Challenge, have a nice day!

Penny Black Birthday and Nitwits Papers

Hello there all, hope you are all well and not too cold, at least it's not raining....... don't like rain, would much rather have cold and bright than wet and miserable .... and, Spring is just around the corner!! Well onto this card, it was made a few weeks ago for a friend for her mum's 80th birthday. The stipulation was that there was no mention of 80 on the card so in the verse on the inside I made reference to her double 40th!!

The image is of course Penny Black coloured with Promarkers, you can't see it very well on the photo but the edges have been distressed with Spun Sugar DI and stickled with Star Dust. The papers are Nitwits - Tickled Pink, love these papers, so much choice. Punch is Martha Stewart and the fabulous ribbon is white seam binding from The Ribbon Girl. Butterfly is an X-Cut punch, distressed with Spun Sugar DI and covered with Stickles Star Dust.

I have a few more cards to show you so drop by again soon and thanks for looking!

Just Magnolia & Hanglar Stanglar Challenge # 89

The challenge over at Magnolia and Hanglar & Stanglar this week is 'My Favourite Things' a chance to go a bit mad and use all your favourite crafty stuff! I just adore these beautiful Hanoverian V&A papers by Docrafts, they have a lovely rich linen texture and victorian look.


Sorry I don't know the name of this little lady but she is so sweet. I have coloured her with Promarkers, stamped around the image with a swirl stamp and added lashings of Platinum Stickles. The border punch and the heart punch are Martha Stewart and the sentiment is one of the new releases from Lili of the Valley.



Thanks for dropping by and hope you can join in!



Happy Crafting!! xx

LOTV Challenge 80 ~ Things with Wings

Hello again everyone, hope you are all well and the sun is shining wherever you are. It was very foggy in Cheshire this morning but then the sun came out to play and it was lovely to see it, hope it stays around!!

Well the LOTV challenge this week is 'Things with Wings' and as I was itching to use my new LOTV stamps it was a perfect opportunity to colour up this beautiful lady. She is coloured with Promarkers, her wings I have covered with Glossy Accents and Glamour Dust. The sentiment is one of the new ones from LOTV too, I was really spoilt for choice with the new releases and I did spend a little more than I intended but no regrets, they are all so fab. I am off to Manchester to the Craft show in February and I just know I will gravitate to the LOTV stand!

The background paper is Basic Grey Kioshi Lily Child, punches are Martha Stewart and there are lashings of Stickles Star Dust but doesn't show up very well on the photo, the day I took this photo the light was very poor (well that's my excuse!).

Well my beloved little dog Lolly has gone to doggie heaven and even though it was a heartbreaking decision I know it was the right one. She was so frail and she really had enough, she was very calm (I wasn't!) and she passed very peacefully. Her 'hubby' Toby is pining for her, he keeps looking for her around the house and garden, I expected him to whine a bit through the night but he never made a sound. I am sure in a few days we will have forgotten all about her but we miss her too, its so strange not having her here. Thank you to everyone for your messages of support, it means a lot.

Thank you so much for your visit today.

Sketch Saturday # 138 - January 15th

Hi peeps, well we are halfway through January and as GDT for Sketch Saturday for this month this is my card. This weeks sponsor is Bunny Zoe's Crafts and the lucky winner of the challenge will recieve £10 to spend in the store, how cool is that!!

To make my card I used:

CS - fom stash

Background Paper - Fancy Pants ~ First date

Image - Kenny K

Sentiment ticket - freebie from SgtStamper

Buttons, ribbon and flower - fom stash

Coloured with Promarkers

Stickles - Star Dust

It's my granddaughter Olivia's 13th birthday today and this is her card, this image is just perfect for her, you know what I mean, teenager with attitude, lol!!

Dreading tomorrow as I have to take my dog Lolly to the vets and I doubt very much I will be bringing her home again. We got her as a rescue and she was estimated to be about 3 or 4 years of age, we have had her 12 years, which makes her about 15 or 16, so she is a good age. A couple of years ago the vet diagnosed slipped discs which would eventually paralyse her legs, which has inevidently happened. This is a common thing to happen to these breed of dogs, they have long backs and short stubby legs. I am sure she isn't in any pain, she never cries with pain, if she was I would have no hesitation, she just has difficulty moving around and she is an old lady so she tends to sleep a lot. My heart is ruling my head, I know its the best thing for her but it's such a horrible decision to make, every time I look at her she wags her tail and looks at me with her milky brown eyes, makes me feel so guilty!! Her 'hubby' Toby will miss her too, he is also a Shih Tzu, another rescue but a couple of years younger and fit as a fiddle.

Anyway, I will keep you posted, thanks for dropping by. xxx

LOTV Challenge - Too late!!

Hi folks, can you believe I made this card for this week's LOTV challenge and missed the 6pm deadline!! LOL, I am such a scatterbrain, not the first time this has happened, I have all good intentions, get the card made and them miss the challenge..... oh well, never mind. Its my daughter Donna's birthday today and she makes delicious cupcakes as a business so she was thrilled to bits with this card.


I loved the sketch for this challenge, the papers are Papermania Confetti, the image is of course LOTV, coloured with Promarkers. The corner die is Marianne and the sentiment is also LOTV. You can't really see it very clearly on the photo but the edges have all been stickled with Star Dust. Flowers are from Wild Orchid which have been sprayed with Pearl Glimmermist.


After my nasty bout of flu I developed Sinusitis which I have been trying to clear with OTC medication and steam inhalation but it wasn't making any difference and I was in so much pain and discomfort so I reluctantly made a visit to GP and now have a weeks course of antibiotics. Not keen on taking antibiotics but sometimes can't be avoided.

Well thanks for dropping by, I really appreciate your visit and your comments.

Hello Cupcake

Hello cupcake, hello everyone! hope you are all well and not too cold, looks like we have snow and ice on the way, brr, nice to look at but I just don't like driving in it.

Isn't this image just gorgeous? This card is for my niece Angela, its her birthday at the weekend. I have coloured her with Promarkers, the paper is Henbury Lane and the sentiment is a digi download from

Lili of the Valley.

Well I finally conceded and started my christmas shopping today, quite surprised myself as I managed to do about a quarter of it. I hate wandering around shops waiting for inspiration to jump out at me, not knowing what to buy but today I did quite well.

Hope you like my Christmassy blog layout, thanks for your visit!

House Mouse Opening Presents

I think these little mice are soo cute don't you? The stamp is from a set called 'Opening Presents' from Joanna Sheen. Coloured with Promarkers with lots of Stickles Star Dust. The paper I have no idea, its a piece Iv'e had for ages. The snowflake embossing folder is by Crafts Too and the snowflake is a Marianne die cut. The sentiment is also part of the stamp set.

Hope you are all well and not too cold!

Thanks for dropping by

Barbara x

Toby Tumble

Good afternoon everyone and what a glorious afternoon it here in Cheshire, hope the sun is shining for you wherever you are.

Today's card is a little different from my usual method, it's a digital download from Cuddly Buddly - 'Toby Tumble' - isnt he sweet? The papers are also from Cuddly Buddly and they match perfectly with this fab image. He is coloured with Promarkers with lots of Stardust Stickles and the sentiment is also a Cuddly Buddly download, good value at £1.99 for a sheet of various sentiments.

Thanks for dropping by my blog, hope you like what you see, I really appreciate your visit and your comments.

Hugs
Barbarax

James the bear with baubles

Mornin all, hope you are all well this wet and miserable morning, its pouring down here in Cheshire but never mind a good excuse to stay in and do some crafting!!

Well onto my card for today and its another of my fave images from Lili of the Valley and this is James with baubles, ain't he cute?? He is coloured with Promarkers with lots of Stickles gold and his baubles have some Glossy Accents added to make them shine! The die cut and the poinsettia are Marianne Createables and the paper I don't have a clue, its a piece left over from last years christmas crafting. The sentiment is Catslife Press, sorry cant remember where I got that one from!

I was hoping for a lie in this morning but no my beauty sleep was disturbed at 7.45am with roadworks right outside the house, diggers, rollers, drills, you name it. The house is vibrating with the noise of it and my poor parrot Honey is wondering that the heck is going on!! I cant listen to this all day so I am off to my friend Anne's house for a coffee, a natter and some cutting and colouring, heaven!!

Thanks for dropping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Hugs

Barbaraxx

Skater Girl

Hello everyone, thanks for visiting, I hope you are well and not suffering with the various bugs that seem to be doing the rounds at the moment!

This is another easel card, I am really enjoying experimenting with these shapes, not just circular ones either, made a few different ones and I will try and add them to my blog very soon.

This image is one of my faves at the moment, Lili of the Valley Skater girl, the dog is soooo cute, he looks like he is doing his best to keep his mistress on her feet!

Image is coloured with Promarkers, with lots Stickles Star Dust, the 'ice' is Twinklets Diamond Dust, fabulous stuff, really crunchy and chunky. The poinsettia flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts which again has been sparkled with Star Dust. Sentiment is Lili of the Valley and of course the shapes are cut from Nesties.

What a change in the weather eh? Couldnt believe how iced up my car was this morning and of course I couldnt find the de-icer anywhere! I think our Indian Summer is finally over don't you? The clocks go back next weekend, then its Halloween and before we know it Christmas is upon us. Don't know about you but I'm not a winter person, hate being cold and long dark winter days, give me spring and summer light and sun anyday!

Thanks again for your visit, I will try my best to post some more very soon!

Take care

Hugs

Barbara

Angel Friend

Hi folks, its been a long time since my last post, where does time go I ask myself?? Life just seems to get in the way, theres always something needs doing, like boring housework!! I'd much rather be crafting but I dont have a fairy godmother unfortunately! Never mind, at least I have managed to make a few Christmas cards and this is one of them.

The stamp is a Lili of the Valley angel, she is coloured with Promarkers with lots of Stickles Star Dust. The sentiment I am not sure of as a friend stamped a few for me.

I have quite a few more cards to add to my blog, I will try and add one a day over the next week so check back often. Thanks for dropping by!!

Yay two more Christmas cards!

Christmas Magic

James with Cracker

Yay, two christmas cards to show you today, I am back on track!!  These are 2 of the lovely images I bought at the show in Manchester.  Both coloured with Promarkers and lots of Star Dust Stickles.  The embossed backgrounds are both by Crafts Too.

Thanks for looking and thank you everyone for all your kind comments, I really do appreciate them.

LOTV Pup and Postbox

Isn't this image just soo cute?  I adore Lili of the Valley stamps so I was in seventh heaven when I found the LOTV stand at the Creative Crafts show in Manchester last weekend.  So much choice, I wanted them all!!  The images are so clear when stamped and easy to colour in, I really love em!!

This one has been coloured using Promarkers with lashings of Star Dust Stickles.

  The backing paper is by Dovecraft - A Jolly Happy Christmas, another buy from the show.

I am way behind with my intention to make at least 2 christmas cards a day, commission cards are getting in the way, but they are almost finished now so watch this space for more luscious LOTV images!

Thanks for looking!

LOTV Candle Girl

Another christmas card made - whoopee!  Set a goal to make at least 2 christmas cards a day so when it comes to December I won't be in panic mode as I usally am!

This cute image is Lili if the Valley ( I really love LOTV stamps, can you tell!) and she is called Candle Girl.  She looks so cosy and warm all wrapped up in her lovely red outfit.  I imagined the lovely red coat and hat she is wearing is made from sumptuous red velvet so I added the red velvet ribbon to reflect this. 

She is coloured with Promarkers with lots of Star Dust stickles, the paper is Cosmo Cricket Festivities Mitten Weather, the edges have been coloured using Fired Brick Distress Ink again glittered with Star Dust.  The flowers are Wild Orchid sprayed with Glimmer Mist Pearl with a hint of Star Dust Stickles.

Enjoy the rest of the bank holiday Monday at least the sun is shining here, hope it is wherever you are, thanks for looking!