...and the Darwin Award for utter stupidity goes to...

Me!
Yes that's right, I'm a complete moron. Who else would hold an electric hand whisk (still plugged in) and try and scoop out the extra cream left behind. One reflexive moment later and I'm stood over the sink with a shredded finger tip!! Fool!
But on to lighter things. This weeks I Love ProMarkers Challenge (#89 - Tags) card is up and on display. Overall I'm quite happy with it but I really wish I had stamped onto the tag direct rather than add a sentiment the way I have done, to me the two shapes are fighting each other for attention with neither one really winning out. One of the girls on the blog said she thought the tag looked like a magic carpet which I really liked - it's always amazing to me what other people can see in your work that you are oblivious too. The image is from the Digi Doodle Shop and I know she isn't Jasmine but she looks enough like her for me, so I kind of went with the Aladdin theme. Anyhoo, hope you like the card and I'll see you all again real soon, x o x o x o
Andy
Entered into Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge #177 - Embellish
The Paper Shelter #37 - Anything Goes
Ruby's Rainbow #15 - Metal
Scrapbook Sisters Card Challenge #58 - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Party Time Tuesdays #39 - Anything Goes
Passion for ProMarkers # 123 - For a Child
Die Cut Dreams #101 - So Charming (metal embellishment)
Make It Monday #60 - Anything Goes

Oh L'amour, what's a boy in love supposed to do?....

Well in case you haven't worked it out yet, Jo and I have just got back from the Royal Centre in Nottingham where we saw the amazing Erasure. I can't believe i've waited over twenty years to see this amazing band, there was so much love in the room for them it was palpable. Andy Bell's voice is as good today as it's ever been and they pumped out hit after hit after hit, a fantastic night and a big thank you to Jo for my early anniversay pressie.

On to this weeks card and still a guest designer at I Love ProMarkers. This weeks challenge #88 Ain't it Cute actually came quite easily to me. We were all given a choice of 5 different sentiments and I immediately chose the wedding one because I knew I wanted to make a card for friends of ours who are celebrating their silver anniversary soon. I used a Make It Crafty background and a Magnolia image (when are Tilda and Edwin NOT cute?), with the box being made from an A4 sheet of white dotted swiss card. The blooms were all already in my stash and I used a couple of Nesties. All in all a quite successful effort I feel.

Hope you like it, see you again real soon.

x
Entered into KB Cute Monday challenge 31 - Anything Goes
Entered into Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #134 - You Choose
Entered into Bling It On Challenges October Challenge - No Patterned Papers

Entered into The Emerald Faerie Garden Challenge #11 - Flowers, Flowers, Flowers
Entered into Lia's Stampz Challenge #5 - 2 Digis/stamps

I Love ProMarkers Challenge #87 - Autumnal Colours

So my Guest Design Team slot continues and this week's challenge is Autumnal Colours. My second favourite time of year (after winter), like a lot of crafters I take a great deal of inspiration from the glorious colour palette that nature provides us all with. There's nothing like going out in a blaze of glory and this time of year has always been special for me; nights closing in and getting cosy on the sofa, dark mornings so you can sleep in and all the festivities to come. Being asked to make a card in autumn colours was something I had never done before, I normally make what I fancy when I fancy doing it so being part of the Design Team has helped to focus my creativity and I am loving that aspect of the challenges.

So here's the card - Make It Crafty provided the digi download image of the boot-house and Magnolia (obviously) provided my beloved Tilda. This particular stamp was bought for me by a lovely lady called Audrey who goes to my local monthly craft club (holla out to my girls (and Brian)), she bought it as a thank-you and I was delighted because it was so unexpected and she actually managed to get one of the few stamps I didn't already own! Well done Audrey.

The sentiment is a Lily of the Valley and I am a little obsessed with circular sentiments at the moment, don't know where that's come from i'm sure!! It has been finished off with a Basic Grey gem swirl and a Marianne Die Cut, hope you like it, see you again real soon.

X

Christmas Down Under

G'Day Mates!, as previously mentioned here's the Christmas card I made. I saw the images on Make It Crafty and I just had to have them. I also bought a lovely outback setting too which I have coloured but not put together yet (I promise to show it to you soon!). I used a really old piece of paper for the backing; it was from a papermania pack that came out about five years ago and has languished at the bottom of my paper pile ever since. I used a bit of Fired Brick Distress ink around the edges and then stamped some extra snowflakes onto it for a bit more depth.

The tinsel has Diamond Dust on it which I feel makes it look really good and gives the card some real dimension.

Today Jo and I went to the Sincerely Yours craft fayre at the Lincolnshire Showground. I spent way too much (no shocks there then!!) but managed to get some really cool bits. Best purchase of the day was the Steampunk Christmas stamps from Chocolate Baroque (love, love, love Glenda Waterworth, she's an absolute legend), can't wait to start using them and (hopefully) making some really amazing cards too. I also got some new paper stacks from Basic Grey, I have to make a card for the I Love ProMarkers challenge blog this week, so keep an eye open for that on wednesday.

Final purchase of any note was some FlexMarkers. I've had a little play already and I love the tips, really precise and the colours are so soft and opaque I already know where they are going to come in handy. I got set 1 and set 2 (£25 from Cloud Nine in Horncastle - Hiya Claire X) and will no doubt end up getting all of them, 'cause that's just the way I roll.

So hope you like the card (sorry about the dreadful pics but the sun was dead bright that day), have a great week and I'll catch you on the flip-side x

Entered into the I Did It Creations Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

One Stitch At A Time Challenge - Anything Goes

Sentimental Sundays Challenge #76 - Anything Goes

CES Challenges Challenge #57 - Seeing Red

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Challenge #99 - Sparkle and Shine!

Little Claire's Monthly Challenge #14 - Christmas

Secret Crafter Challenge #155 - Anything Goes As Long As It Sparkles

Guest Design Team Member - O.M.G.!!!!

Wowser's Penfold, this is a very exciting week for me.

I have been asked to join the I Love ProMarkers design team for a month. My invite was initially lost in my junk e-mails so I nearly missed out but I sorted it out in the end and with a bit of hasty purchasing was able to throw a card together for the first of October's challenges - Spooky!

I must apologise for once again making an easel card - I don't know what's come over me lately, it seems to be all that I can make!!, but the images I colour do seem to lend themselves to easel cards because of their size (I do like a big, meaty image to colour).

So here's the first card I've made for the D.T. The images are from Make It Crafty and because I only had the one day to put it together I'm not exactly over the moon with the final colouring but I've made worse!

The rub-on is a Bo Bunny one I've had forever and the papers are all Basic Grey with adornments courtesy of the amazing new Iron Works dies from Nestabilities.

Hope you like it.