The first signs of Spring

Hi there friends.......thank you for stopping by for a chat, make yourself comfy and grab a cuppa......no don't go........ I promise it wont be too long a post!

Spring! well it is round the corner and to me the first signs are the snowdrops. I love this little flower, it seems to battle all the cold and elements that nature throws at it.
I made two cards with this stamp...yes I know two!! whatever next.............well I knew exactly which stamp I wanted to use from Clearly Besotted.....but could I find it?............it took me an hour......yes really! I am so organised , every stamp is filed away in ring binders and labelled. I eventually found it .......not in the flowers......come on that was too obvious and I did look in there about three times....NO it was in Christmas!......mmmmmmm possibly because the set says 'Let it Snow'.....might have to refile that one.

Here is the first card

Very CAS and of course not quick...I mean when I found the stamp I then ummed and ahhed (are they actual words) about the matting and layering. Did I go all white ? or put some pale green in there. You can see what I chose in the end and the jury is still out on the green. The snowdrops were coloured with copics and then given the wink of Stella treatment....sadly not visible on my poor photos.I also used my new Memory Box stitched circles...which I love..........yes I know I wasn't buying anything else new...but...its a bit like M&S this crafting lark. If you see it and wait.... you can't get it!!

OK are you still with me?....on to the second card.
This time I cut out the same image (coloured exactly the same way) with it's coordinating die....now I knew where that was....went straight to it!

I cut an aperture in the card front and put the snowdrops peeping through and added the faux stitching. I put a green mat inside the card to show through when it was closed.

The sentiment was from stash...nice and tiny. So sorry the photos are a bit naff...the light was not good when I took them.

Where's hubbys Valentine I hear you say............looking round blogland you have all been busy with the hearts. Well DH kept telling me to buy one (a card that is not a heart)...so I have!! I think maybe he is fed up with handmade so I found one with some nice words in it  ......and bought it! NO I will not hang my head in shame.....I always do as I am told  :)

Well have you drunk that cuppa?........you have........and eaten biscuits too!! Well just one more thing to share with you before I go.
Remember my Happy card? Well it took the cake at the last Seize the Birthday challenge so it has made me a very Happy person. Well chuffed!

OK I know you have things to do so I will let you go and get on. (Leave your cup I will wash it later)
Have a super Valentine Day (if you are celebrating) and an altogether great weekend. It's M&S dinner for two for us....and a bought card.......lol
Thanks again for popping by.
Take care my friends and hopefully we can get together again next week.
Bye for now.
Hugs
Carole xx

Challenges entered :- Addicted to Stamps and More...Anything goes

'Presents'

Happy Friday everyone....it's the weekend...again! So that's the first week of February done. Hope it was a good one for you and you are looking forward to doing something nice this weekend. I am hoping to craft all day tomorrow as hubby is off to a model railway exhibition. Watch this space...let's see if I get distracted!

Anyway another birthday card..............loosely based on the star card that I did a while back.

This time I cut squares out of my card and put patterned paper behind. I added the stitching with a fine line pen and drew in the string and the bows. I added a 'Wink of Stella' to the parcels but it doesn't show in the photo. i wanted it subtle as the card was for a male.

The only thing I did differently was this time I put the patterned paper directly behind the apertures instead of raising the apertures forwards on foam pads. I then raised the whole panel on foam pads (hope you follow that). On reflection I think I prefer the dimension given when the pads are between the patterned paper and card front.

I used:-
Spellbinders.Dies.............basic squares small and large.
papers...............................Found these in my stash....GCD Studios - Whoop De Doo (had them ages)
Sentiments........................Uniko Studio

Well I have broken my vow of not buying anything new this week...........well I did manage a month, but this week I had to use my credit in my Create and Craft account (that's my excuse) and bought Clarity wee folk....they are so cute. How does one stop being tempted when all these fabulous goodies keep coming to the market? Now I just need to use them.It is a year since I sorted the craft room to make space and it is now fast becoming cluttered again....sound familiar?

Right well I hope you are all managing to keep warm in this cold weather and safe if you have ice and snow.If you have been under the weather then I hope you are feeling better. I had to smile today....I had one of many I am getting ...phone calls regarding home energy checks. I felt like saying the only thing round here needing help with energy is ME! Picture a wind turbo on my head and solar panels on my back.............I could become the angel form hell!
I will leave you with that image!.....lol

 Have a good weekend.Thank you so much for stopping by and if you have left me a comment you know you will have made me very happy....I love to read them.............it endorses the fact that I know I have some lovely blogging friends out there. Thank you for sharing your time with me.Come back soon.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
Tea to make!
Crafty Hugs
Carole xx

Challenges entered :-
Crafting by Designs..................... Anything goes
Seize the Birthday........................Anything goes
Lisa B designs...............................Anything goes (just sneaking in with no 3)
Snippets challenge........................Snippets of patterned paper

A Happy card !! ??

Hey friends.....where did this last week ago? Can't believe it's the weekend again and the beginning of February.
We have managed to miss the snow here this week in West Yorkshire, just a sprinkling, nothing to get excited about. I know some places have had it bad though, so hope you are all safe and warm wherever you are.

I have failed miserably in my good intentions to have the years necessary cards made by now,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,hubby laughing here!! But I shall plod on and see what headway I can make in the next month. At the end of the day does it really mater that you all make tons of cards and I make one a week?..............YES it does to me!  Seriously though it's about enjoying the journey I believe and not worrying about the destination.

A Happy card this week............well I think so anyway. It's Millie with flower from LOTV. and she is coloured with copics.

and a close up

Everything used was from stash I have had for a while, so sorry apart from the stamp I have no product details.I did make the bow on my Crafters Companion bow maker that I got last year. Must say I quite like this piece of kit and can see it coming in useful quite often.

Well enjoy your weekend again my friends, hope your crafty mojo takes you to wonderful things. Mine has jet lag from it's hols (that's his excuse)....lol

Thank you for stopping by to visit me. I love it when you do............and if you leave me a comment I love it even more (bribery) and I will visit you in return.

Take care, keep warm, safe, well and Happy!
Crafty hugs for special people
Carole xx


Challenges entered :-

Seize the Birthday .................Anything goes.
Cute card Thursday.................#358 Stamping mad...use a stamp...I have used Millie
Lisa B designs.........................Anything goes (entry 2)

Midsummer's night!.....a bit early!

Hi there friends.

Hope you are all managing to stay warm and safe in this cold, and I know that a lot of you like me are not 100% at present........but hey we will get there, Spring is round the corner......January almost gone!! along with most of our snow (which wasn't that much to be honest) and the Easter eggs are in the shops!...........and if all that doesn't spur you on... then as my Grandma used to say ' I am getting a little better each day'............she lived to 96!

So crafty wise a card using an image I coloured last summer (do you remember it? the summer that is?) I believe I was sat outside at the time, in the warm(even hot) sunshine...mmm sounds good!

and a close up

No clever techniques here, just colouring with copics, so I have listed what I have used at the end of the post to save a lot of boring reading. It's pretty self-explanatory anyway.I added lots of glitter to her wings and the stars but it doesn't show so well on the photos.

Image............................LOTV Midsummers Night
Spellbinder dies............labels 17, less papillons, teardrop circles
Marianne dies................leafy swirl
Greeting........................Craftwork Cards
Pearls, flowers, ribbon and backing papers from stash.

Do hope you all have something nice lined up to do this weekend.Nothing special planned here.
Thank you for stopping by and take care my friends.
Love and crafty hugs
 Carole xx

Challenges entered :-
Crafts Galore Encore.............Anything goes 2nd entry
Cute Card Thursday...............Colourful
Papertake Weekly..................Get in shape..use 3 shapes...mine are square, labels 17 and circle.
Seize the Birthday..................Anything goes option.

Venice and a cold!

Hello bogging friends.
Another week gone!.......crafting none!.........better than last week?.........marginally! came down with a stinker of a cold this week...sniff sniff..........like loads of other people too I am sure. Mine I think was courtesy of hubby .........everyone else's?.........if they were down to hubby there are questions to be asked!! So next week will be better still and I hope everyone out there is tickety boo next week if you are one under par too at present.
Keep well the rest of you.

So weekend.....nothing special happening her....weather foul.....great excuse to craft but not the inclination unfortunately. I have however the card I made for my lovely DIL who's birthday was this week.

and the reverse side

Nicole loves Venice and the masks so I had to use Craftwork Cards Venetian papers and a fancy fold card and the mask was cut with a Spellbinder Venetian die.
I just adore the colours in these papers.I think it is self explanatory but I added flowers, glitter and candi.

Welcome to my new follower Kathy I do hope you continue to pop by and enjoy what you see.
Thanks also everyone for your comments on last week and for the record I was not hurt after the 'incident' just shocked..........so nice of you all to ask though.

Thank you for stopping by again and perhaps saying hi again, as always I love your comments, they brighten my life and I know I am not talking to myself!

Just before I go I have to say I do admire those of you that have been making loads of cards, that post every few days or even daily...I really do not know how you do it. You are such talented people and I am so honoured to feel that I know you all, and I love stopping by to see your wonderful work.
Alas I think that my resolve to make the years cards in January and then just play has gone by the wayside. I haven't finished January yet!....so next week Mr Mojo is due back and I shall crack the whip (I hope).

Keep safe if the weather is bad where you are, keep warm, and enjoy whatever you have planned.

Crafty (or not so at the moment) hugs to you all.

Love
Carole xx

Stars and Strawberry Santas

Hello my friends. How are we all? Fit and well I hope and if you are feeling under the weather then I hope that soon changes for you and you feel better.

So how fast did the first week of January go.........feels an absolute age since Christmas and New Year doesn't it?..........and no doubt the rest of the year will follow on as quick.

It's been a funny old week here (that's putting it mildly)...........things going wrong, cancellations and a traumatic encounter with the garage door which ended up on the roof of my car....me inside the car!......get the picture? Won't bore you with details and being as how I am a half cup full kinda gal......next week is going to be better!!!!

As a result this week the crafting didn't take off till today when I booted myself into the craft room and gave myself a stern talking to..result below.
 Mr Mojo seems to have headed off to sunnier climates I think..........and he forgot to take me with him of course!  I am hoping he will get an early flight back.

 and the inside

I am dedicating this card to hubby who has been there for me this week.....as he always is love him, and I mustn't miss out eldest son (Andy) either ...both came to my rescue this week.

I took inspiration from a card in Making Cards Feb issue magazine being that Mr Mojo had deserted me.

 I didn't have the stitched dies, so I used my never before used Sizzix Star dies and scraps of paper from stash. I cut a piece of white card slightly smaller than the front of the 6 x 6 card and cut out the stars. Where the die edge embossed the card I then drew in the line with a fine black marker pen and then stamped the sentiment...... paper bits were adhered to the base card to show through the apertures (my some big words there) and the front panel was mounted up on foam pads for depth. I used the same papers inside and cut another of the hearts slightly bigger so that I could stamp the Thank You. I cut a couple of the smaller dies in the blue card and adhered (I really should say stuck) on the front.

I am quite pleased with the result so may make a couple for stash for different occasions in different colours. That should keep me busy till Mojo lands.

While my youngest son (Iain) and Daughter -in -Law (Nicole) were staying on Christmas Day they made some Strawberry Santas...........so with their permission here is a photo of them with the Santas's......they were yummy(and cute) and soon demolished but we did just manage to get a picture. Apparently it has become a tradition now with them every year. 

Right time to go and cozy up in front of the telly. It is blowing a howling gale here at present.

I wish you all a lovely weekend, and be safe, happy and well...........then life will take care of itself.
We have nothing special lined up............weather dependent..........oh and we have jigsaws to do!

I will be back next week (hoping its a better one) with Daughter -in -Laws Birthday card.
Thank you so much for stopping by to read my ramblings and if you have left me a comment..........then you have cheered me up even more you lovely people.

Take care
Hugs
Carole xx

Challenges entered:-

(Actually linking all these is a challenge itself! )

Cute card Thursday -------------Use something new..Star dies in my case.
Papertake Weekly----------------Anything goes with a Thank You option
Lisa B designs -------------------Anything goes
ABC challenge-------------------A for Anything goes
Crafts Galore Encore------------Anything goes
Pixie's Snippets Playground----Week 158

PHEW!!

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! I do hope 2015 holds wonderful things for you all, and is a happy and healthy one.

Phew.....that's it...all over for a while(the festivities that is).............and how many shopping days till Christmas?.....Did you hit the sales? no I didn't either.......no money nor the stamina to go with it! If you did go and grabbed a bargain...good on you.

Resolutions?.................I think not.........well maybe sort of, but nothing very exciting ....more promises to myself.  Crafting wise...it's to spend less on new and use up the old...care to join me?
I have decided to have a rest from Christmas this month and then it is my intention to make a couple of Christmas cards a month by playing with all that stash still not used.......will see how that pans out!
Also when I get back to normal ...normal? what's that?...I intend to try and get all my 2015 cards made in a month...all those birthday cards that end up at the last minute (especially family).............OK I can hear you laughing...........I know......I will be laughing if I manage it!

Want a picture? bored with reading? here goes then..........

A birthday card that I did for a horse lover. Image coloured with copics and the rosette is made from a Tim Holtz die.I think the rest is self explanatory.

Also I bought this Cath Kidston umbrella for a Christmas present and I made the box to go with it. Craftwork Cards London paper pad came in to play here with the soldiers which matched up to the brolly so well that the recipient thought I had bought the box from Cath Kidston!!

Right folks that's it till I start crafting again! I think you have seen all my creations from 2014....so I had better get cracking (crafting) next week.

Enjoy your day whatever you are doing and thanks for stopping by. I really do appreciate your comments and have made lovely friends worldwide as a result. My good wishes to you all.Be safe and happy.

Till next time
Love and crafty hugs
Carole xx