I got a Liebster Award!

Mewnin chums!

 

The lovely and talented UT over at UT's Hobby Time has graciously given me a Liebster award. She has a bright fun blog (with some fantastic mouthwatering recipes too - yummy yum).

 

About the Award

 

This award was designed to be a blog award in the "Pay it Forward" fashion. Once you have been nominated, you award it to five blogs that you like that have fewer than 200 followers; to encourage new visitors to their blog.

 

Rules for Acceptance

 

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog.

 

Post the award on your blog.

 

Give the award to five bloggers that have fewer than 200 followers.

 

Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know that you have given them this awesome award.

 

Pay it Forward

 

Here are five brilliant blogs I think you should check out...

 

Catherine - Vidhu Creations

Bhawana - Unveiling Crafts

Ardilla - Ardilla's Papers

Sonya - La Mia Stella

Elly - Elly's Creaties

 

These are fab blogs, full of creativity, awesome makes and friendly banter. Pop over and have a sneaky peep!

 

Thanks again UT for giving me this superb award :0)

 

Colette xxx

Let's Make Cards Issue 59

Why, hello my lovely peeps!

 

What a beautiful day it has been. Spring is so close I can smell it (either that or the farmer has been out with his tractor again). Hello and a big welcome and thank you to my new followers and candy competitors :)

 

Anyhoo! Because I've been so busy of late, I didn't get round to showing you my first commission for Let's Make Cards (a sister title to Crafts Beautiful). So here it is....

 

It's a fantastic magazine.  A tad more expensive than other paper crafting and card mags, but then you get a full kit jam packed with everything you need to make the projects featured (and still have loads left over, to boot).

 

LMC59 is currently available from good newsagents and most supermarkets and includes a beautiful Spring/Easter/Mother's Day inspired kit with cute bunnies, chicks, butterflies and flowers, ooh and there are some great projects in the issue - mine included (she adds modestly) ahem, cough....

You also get great hints, tips and what's new and why not check out the website www.letsmakecards.com? They have galleries each month so you can upload photos of your latest makes using the kit.

 

Big news though!!! Next month Let's Make Cards is relaunching as PaperCrafter and the first issue is out on March 28th. You still get the fabulous kit, but the magazine also features paper crafts and techniques other than just card making. Very exciting. Look out for my next set of projects in the new issue of PaperCrafter!

 

Okay, so that's me for the nonce. I have a pile of ironing, height wise puts the very large tree in our garden to shame. I may be gone a week - less if I iron 24 hours plus. I need to put on a good gory horror film or three, they always get me excited - therefore, I iron quicker. Especially if someone is being chased - oooer!

 

Until next time. xxxx

Just For You

What'cha peeps!

Hope you are all well on this bright and sunny day.

Simon is busy doing some d.i.y and Bazoo is asleep somewhere. No doubt she will come up soon and do the 'Hypno-cat' thing. Her alter-ego appears when she wants feeding or wants attention, so she sits there, not moving, not blinking, not making a sound or anything and you can 'feel' the laser eyes boring into you.

The worst is when you are preparing the evening meal or making a brew and she goes and sits by her bowl. Zzzzzzzz! Laser eyes burning in your back. Hypno-cat strikes again. It's very unnerving.

Well, enough dribble, I mean drivvle. Onto the important stuff...

This card I'd like to show you is one I made for a lovely lady called Joyce. We see Joyce and her adorable hubby John when we go to The Vernon for a meal on a Friday night. It is her birthday tomorrow, so Happy Birthday Joyce!

What you need...

Stamps: sentiment

Papers: Infuse 6x6 pad - Basic Grey

Dies: Framelits Fancy Labels #4 -  Sizzix; Chinese Roses - Marianne Design Creatables

Ink: Onyx Black - Versafine

Card stock: white

Seam binding: Walnut

Stick pin: decorative pearl

Flat backed pearls

Adhesives

What you do...

Wrap a double length of seam binding around a top fold 13cm square blank and tie in a bow on the left edge. Die cut a label in olive green paper, and a smaller one in patterned paper. Mount onto the card, over the binding.

Stamp the sentiment onto white card. Cut out with a label die, mount centrally onto the other labels. Die cut two large roses and a small one in co-ordinating patterned paper. Make up and glue to the left of the label, under the bow. Die cut two leaves in olive paper and also attach these to the card. Finish with a decorative pin and a few pearls.

You may recognise this card from a previous post. I loved the layout so much I did it again, but with different papers this time.

I also made Joyce a shabby chic fabric flower brooch.

What you need...

Fabric: small ditzy floral, blue dotty

Netting: pink, white

Felt: pink

Dies: Bloom Nesting Dies - X-Cut

Brooch pin

Fabric Glue

Self cover button

Sewing cotton: white, pink

What you do...

Die cut three different sized flowers, twice in the floral fabric and one of each colour of net. Sandwich the net between the same sized flowers then layer. Secure with a couple of stitches in the centre.

Cover the button with blue dotty fabric and sew to the centre of the flower. Cut a circle in pink felt and attach the brooch pin with pink thread. Glue to the back of the flower, allowing the glue to penetrate the felt. This will create a rigid back and help support the flower. Ta da!

Don't worry about the petals fraying, this all adds to the ol' shabby chic feel.

I adore these big flowery brooches, they always look good pinned onto a plain jacket or coat and are so easy to make. I'm a sucker for buying fat quarters, always with 'Ooooh! That would make a good brooch'. I have enough to make hundreds - oops.

Joyce loved the card and brooch - whoopee!!

Phew! It's been a long post, but I think I owe you after my short absence. Before I say ta ta, I want to thank you for all your kind comments about my makes and the blog candy. I love visiting your blogs and seeing your wonderful creations. Good luck to all those who have entered the March giveaway.

So long for now. xxx

March Blog Candy

Aft'noon peeps!

Hope you are all well? As promised, as a massive thank you to all my fab followers, here is March's candy.

 

In this month's candy there are 50 sheets of assorted 6"x6" papers, 30 sheets of assorted 8"x8" papers, 5 sheets of assorted gold/silver peel-offs and a set of DJ Bud Clear Alphabet Stamps by All Night Media (Plaid).

 

It's a really cute set, the capital letters and numbers have little flowers so you can colour them in. The set includes a clear plastic storage case (it has guidelines on the reverse so you can line letters up to make a word) and a tiny acrylic stamping block. The stamps have never been used and are still in their sealed packet. 

 

The papers include My Mind's Eye, Papermania and DCWV.

 

Now the technical stuff...

 

To have a chance of winning this fab candy:-

1. Be a follower either through Blogger, Google or email (see sidebar to follow by email)

2. Post a piccy of the candy with a link to this post in your sidebar (if you have a blog)

3. Leave me a comment (with your blog address if you have one) ta da! You are entered!

If you do have a blog, it will be great to have a look and see what you are up to :)

This candy will close on 31st March 2013, I will then use RANDOM.ORG to choose a winner!
 

The candy is open to all, nationally, internationally, those in outer space and previous winners.

Good luck and thanks to all those who enter, keep your finger, toes, eyes, trousers, whatever crossed and you might be the next lucky winner!

Ta ta for now :) xxx

 

 

February Blog Candy Winner!

Hello chums!

 

I know it's been a while. I've had a couple of commissions to get in and being ill the other week put me back a bit. However! I'm here now.

 

Thank you all who entered this month's candy, here is the list and a snapshot of the winner picker ~

 

1 ~ Sonia

2 ~ UT's Hobby Time

3 ~ Dawn

4 ~ Asia

5 ~ Elly

6 ~ Sylvie

7 ~ Luanne

8 ~ Paperkate

9 ~ Roudi

10 ~ La Vikinga

11 ~ Sonya

12 ~ Ardilla

13 ~ HazelQ

14 ~ Jayvalikka

15 ~ Annelies

16 ~ Catherine

 

The winner is....drum roll please - durrrrrrrrr! (that's what it sounds like when I do a drum roll, because I can't roll my tongue) - Number 8 again, it must be a lucky number???? Paperkate!!! Congratulations :)

 

Please email me with your address Paperkate and I'll get the goodies sent out to you asap.

 

For those who didn't win it this time, I'll be posting another fab candy up soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

 

Ta ta for now.xxx

What a Hoot!

Hiya peeps!

Hope you are fit  and well on this bright, spring like day! Just thought I would say hello and post you another of my woodland projects. I'm still in between commissions at the moment.

I just love the owl's eyes, they almost look like they are going to pop right out of his head. This and the other six cards in the set are in the March 2013 issue of Crafts Beautiful, out now. You can download the tree stump, grass, speech bubble and all the other templates and illustrations from the Crafts Beautiful website - for free!

Why not check out some of the font websites (I have a link to some good ones on the right) for free fonts you can download? You can save them to your computer and use them whenever you want, it's quick and easy to do. It will save it as a zip file, then once it has downloaded you can go into the zip file and install it. It's then ready to use!

Well, that's me for the nonce. Thanks for visiting ;) xxx

Hoppy Birthday

How goes it me lovelys?

Hope you are all well on this cold wintry day. I've just made a nice hot cup of coffee and I thought I would say hello. As promised here is another card I've created for the current issue of Crafts Beautiful.

I really enjoyed doing this project, the images are so cute. I thought the tree stamp would make a lovely bright bush and I adore the little bunnies sat looking at it, probably thinking 'Mmmm that looks tasty'.

There are a couple of cards in the set which use my own illustrations - a fox and a badger, unfortunately I haven't had the samples back; but they are showcased along with all the supplies and instructions to create all the woodland cards in the March issue of Crafts Beautiful. You can download the free digi images of the fox and badger from the Crafts Beautiful website.

If you want to ask me about materials or techniques used in any of my projects, please feel free to contact me through my blog or email.

Thanks for calling by. Until next time. xxx

You're Such a Deer

Aft'noon chums!

I'm back! I feel much better now. Hope you lovely peeps out there don't get this chest thingy that's going around - not good :(

I have another sneeky peeky at another one of my cards from the March issue of Crafts Beautiful.

The woodland theme is really big at the moment. The good thing about these cards is that they are suitable for all. They would make good Easter cards too.

The March issue of Crafts Beautiful is out now and available at all good newsagents and most supermarkets. Why not check out the Crafts Beautiful website for more ideas, projects and inspiration?

That's me for now. I've got a couple of commissions to catch up on, but I'll post back soon...promise :) Thanks for popping by xxx

Happy Spring

Aft'noon peepsicles!

I must apologise again for the lack of posts. The cold I got at the beginning of the week went to my chest and to say I've been feeling yukky is an understatement. I'm still not 100%, hence this is just a quickie.

I'd like to show you a sneeky peeky of one of the cards from my 7 Ways With Woodland Motifs feature in the current issue of Crafts Beautiful.

Check out the instructions and supplies needed for this and the other six cards in the March issue, out now. I may show another couple in a later post. I did a couple of cards with my own illustrations. You can download the illustrations of my fox and badger from the Crafts Beautiful website.

Before I sign off, I just want to say hello to all my lovely new followers and thank you all who are joining in my blog candy giveaways :) You are really a great bunch of fab peeps! Until next time...xxx

You Make Me Happy

Mornin' all!

Sorry I've not been around for a couple of days, haven't been feeling 100% (finally gave in to the cold bug that's going around - boo yah)

Any hoo! Did manage to get another little card done. So here we go...

What you need...

Stamps: Fanfare - Avery Elle

Dies: Grunge Flower #1, Grunge Flower #2 & #3 - PaperArtsy

Punches: 1.5" circle; corner rounder

Card stock: lime, turquoise, orange

Ink: Key Lime, Sea Breeze, Persimmon - VersaMagic; Onyx Black - Versafine

Resin flower, turquoise

Crochet cotton, white

Adhesives

What you do...

Create a top fold 12cm x 15cm blank and round the bottom corners. Stamp the scalloped border along the top of the blank with Sea Breeze. Repeat with the Persimmon and Key Lime. Stamp the sentiment in black in the lower left corner.

Die cut the largest flower in turquoise, the medium one in orange and two leaves in lime, also punch a circle of lime card. Scrunch them all up and assemble, catching some strands of cotton between the orange flower and lime circle. Glue the resin flower in the centre. When dry, attach to the right of the blank at the lower edge of the scallop border.

There we have it, another quick and simple card. I think the colours are so fresh and spring like. I apologise for the photography (just can't seem to get it right these days) it really doesn't do the card justice.

So that's me for now. I'm going to make a fresh hot lemon and honey drink, then get on with my Crafts Beautiful commission.

Thanks for dropping in. xxxx