Happy Thanksgiving ....

... to all my American friends. Even though we've been in the States for 4 years, we still can't quite get used to this holiday! However, it is a huge event and I want to wish all my American crafting buddies the very Happiest of Holidays!

I also want to share with you a card that I made for Kat's voice teacher - Dorothy. Kat gave the card to Dorothy last Sunday at the music recital, so I'm safe to share it now:

Stamps: MFT - Lots of Dots; Uniko - Rustic Christmas; Stampin' Up! - Water Colour Wishes
Inks: SU - Pumpkin Pie. Chocolate Chip
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Old Olive, Hello Honey; Photoplay - Falling Leaves; Wink of Stella - Clear

This is another card made from the sheet of 12" x 12" design paper. I think this is such a fun image of a turkey - he looks sort of bemused!!! I used the sketch from Your Next Stamp - YNS#52 and the colours are from Colour Q Challenge - cQc#368.  I cut a panel of yellow card and stamped these fun dots in orange. There was a scrap of green card on my desk so I used that for the greeting. I used dimensional tape to add the image. I also added a touch of sparkle with a clear Wink of Stella brush to the words and the turkey's feathers. On the inside I kept it very simple with a mat layer of yellow card and a greeting on the white panel.

That's all for today. We are going to have a quiet morning watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade from Detroit on TV and then later we're going out for lunch.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thankful ....

.... Morning! I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. Ours was lots of fun. We saw Kat perform in her first public recital. She was so nervous, but she sang beautifully. Yes, I know that I'm somewhat biased, but it was good. In fact, all the singers were excellent. I think Kat is going to do it again!!!

It's Thanksgiving this week, and Kat will finish school mid-morning on Wednesday and be off until the following Monday. It's the only break she gets between starting in September and stopping for Christmas. She's very much looking forward to the break. I've a Thanksgiving card to share with you today:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Day of Gratitude
Inks: Kaleidacolor - Creole Spice; SU - Chocolate Chip
Dies: Die-namics - Zig Zag Stitched Rectangles Stax #4 and #5
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU - Hello Honey, Photoplay 12 x 12 - Falling Leaves; Wink of Stella - Clear

I used the colours from this week's Colour Q Challenge - cQc#368. Over at CAS-ual Fridays Challenge - CFC#161 they have the theme of Being Thankful.

I bought a really lovely sheet of 12" x 12" design paper on Saturday with lots of large panels that are just the right size for making cards (or using in Project Life scrapbooks). I cut out all the panels and picked this one for the focus. I stamped the background using a Kaleidacolor pad - just lvoe the ombre effect with the inks. I layered the panel on some warm yellow card and adhered it to the card. I stamped some leaves, cut them out and attached them with gel. I finished by adding a touch of sparkle to the words. On the inside I cut another mat of yellow card and added a simple greeting on the white panel.

That's all for now - see you soon!

A wee bit weird ....

... I think that's a perfect description of our family. I've been messing about in my craft room today - making cards for tomorrow's 52 Christmas Card Throwdown challenge, and also a fun card to send to our son, Ben:

Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop - Monster Mash
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Memento - Tuxedo Black
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up Card - Old Artichoke; Tim Holtz Watercolour Card; Zig Brushes; Gold Embossing Powder; Copics; Wink of Stella - Clear; Gold Washi Tape

I was going through my stamp stash and came across this fun set of little monsters and it reminded me that I hadn't yet played along with the current Addicted to CAS challenge - ATCAS#100, where the cue word is MONSTER!! I used the colours from Colour Q Challenge - cQc#367. The cue word over at CASology - CAS#223 is TEAM and I think our family is a team, albeit a weird one!!

I stamped the little monsters in versamark on watercolour card, heat embossed them with gold powder and painted them with Zig brushes. I cut them out and added some sparkle with a clear Wink of Stella brush. I added a strip of gold washi along the bottom of the card, stamped the words and then adhered the monsters. On the inside I cut a mat layer of olive card and on the white panel added another little monster and a sentiment.

I think these little monsters really do work to represent us - Jonathan, me and Kat here in the States, and Ben on the inside over in the UK. I think he'll like this one a lot!!

Before I go, I must say a loud THANK YOU to the team over at Less is More. I've been playing along with the challenge since it started - granted not every week, but I do try. I'm constantly amazed and awed by the wonderful cards that I see on the blog and this week I was lucky enough to be one of the winners with my sparkly Christmas Wreath card! I'm absolutely thrilled to bits. Thanks again!

I'm still working on a few other challenges too - as they say practice makes perfect!!! Bye for now!

Halloween greetings ....

... Hello! I hope you're all keeping well. Autumn has most definitely arrived - leaves are blowing all over the place around here and it's quite cold. I can't think of a better reason to play in my craft room! I've made a clean and simple Halloween card today:

Stamps: Impression Obsession - Mr P Umpkin, Bump in the Night; Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz - Crazy Talk
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Die-namics - Cross Stitched Ovals Stax #4 & #5; Lil Inkers - Stitched Panels
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Pumpkin Pie; SUDP - Halloween Night, Pumpkin Pie; Copics; Zig Pens; Wink of Stella - Clear; Gems

I used the sketch from, a new to me challenge, Sunday Stamps Challenge - SSC#138, the colours from Colour Q - cQc#365 and the theme of Halloween from Left of Centre - LOC#153.

I made the horizontal panel from some orange card and some design paper. I used stitch edge dies to give the detail. I stamps Mr P Umpkin on some white card in Versafine ink as it's waterproof. I used my new Zig pens to paint the image (I used some grey Copics on the legs and hat), they are really vibrant. I added some sparkle with a clear Wink of Stella brush and then I fussy cut it out. The oval frame, which started out white and I coloured with a black Copic, was left over from another card. I stamped a simple sentiment and finished off the front with some frosted gems. On the inside I cut a mat layer of orange design paper and on the white panel stamped a sentiment and another Halloween monster. I used the Zig pens to add some colour.

I've posted all my Halloween cards for this year, so this one is the start of next year's collection! That's all for today. Do stop by tomorrow to see my reminder card for our Uniko colour challenge. See you soon!

Coffee - Magical substance ...

.... Hi! It's been an awful day today with non-stop rain! I think we've almost caught up with the shortage - there's been at least 1", and I know that not a lot compared to some, but I hate it! The plus side is that I've been able to play in my craft room all day. You'll see most of the cards tomorrow and Saturday. However, I do have a fun coffee themed card to share:

Stamps: Bugaboo Digital - Stella Magical Substance; Altenew - Coffee Love, Coffee Talk, Coffee Ring
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Early Espresso, Tangerine Tango, Crumb Cake
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Early Espresso; Copic Markers; SU Punch - Tag

I got this image in the recent mega sale at Bugaboo Stamps. I adore Stella - she's such a happy character ;)) I printed the image on white card, coloured her with Copics, cut her out and adhered her to the card. I used a punch to cut out the message - I love this. Reminds me of me in the morning!! On the inside I added a white panel with more coffee themed words and images.  I used this week's colours from the Colour Q Challenge - cQc#361 as I think they are just perfect for a coffee theme challenge. I'm submitting to the Fall Coffee Lovers Challenge too.

I'm off to make myself a cup of coffee now and wait for Jonathan to get in. He's just phoned and said that the roads are awful, but at least the rain has eased off a bit. Bye for now!

52CCT - Technique .....

.... Hello! We've come to the last Saturday of the month, so that means it's time for our technique challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - 52CCT38-16. Fabiola has picked a really fun technique for us to use this week - MASKING. This technique allows you to build depth into your card without adding too many layers - great for posting. Here's my card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Candy Jar Christmas Fillers, 2011 Holiday Ornaments; Winnie & Walter - Party Hangover; Clearly Besotted - All Occasion Sentiments; Stampin' Up! - Watercolour Wishes
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; SU - Real Red, Hello Honey, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Basic Black; SU DP - Real Red; Copics; Wink of Stella - Clear

I've used the colours from this week's Colour Q Challenge - cQc#360 for my card. I'm also playing along with Addicted to Stamps and More! - ATSM#212 where they want us to make our mark. I pulled out some much loved Waltzingmouse stamps to create the jar of gingerbread kids with pretty Christmas ornaments in front of them. I used scrap paper to work out the layout and to determine which order to stamp the images. The red ornament was stamped first as it is foremost in the picture. Using masks I continued to stamp the other ornaments and then the jar of cookies. I created the lid added another mask and then stamped the decorations. I coloured the cookies and decorations with Copic markers. I finished the front of the card by stamping the greeting and adding some sparkle with a clear Wink of Stella brush to the decoration. On the inside I cut a mat layer of red design paper. On the white panel I added a sentiment along with some more decorations and a little gingerbread kid.

Do visit our blog for some more inspiration with the masking technique. You've got plenty of time to join in with us - deadline for submission is midnight BST (7.00pm EDT) Friday 30th September. Have fun!

Uniko - Theme .....

.... Hello! I'm here this morning with my card for our theme challenge at Uniko. This month we want you to create a card that has been INSPIRED BY A SONG TITLE. This card was inspired by the song Hip to be Square by Huey Lewis and The News - see clip at the end of this post:

Stamps: Uniko - All Occasion Sentiments #6, Background Builders Squared, Time
Inks: Memento - Summer Sky, Pear Tart, Rose Bud; Stampin' Up! - Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU DP - Rich Razzleberry

I've used the colours from this week's Colour Q Challenge - cQc#356. I've made a really clean and simple card, but it took a while! I really like these squares, but it took a while to line them all up. I cut them into a panel, slightly smaller than the card base and edged it with some dark ink. I finished the front with a bold sentiment. On the inside I cut a mat layer of design paper and added some decoration to the white panel.

Do visit our blog to see more inspiration from the rest of the team. The challenge actually started last week and I knew immediately the song that I would use - Yellow Submarine - and I had just the right stamp! And, then I realised that it wasn't a Uniko stamp :)))) As I couldn't get the song out of my head, I had to pass, but this week was much easier.

And here's the song by Huey Lewis and the News:

52CCT - Theme ...

.... Morning! Miracles of miracles, I've actually managed to make my card on time for this week's 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - 52CCT33-16 challenge. This week is our theme challenge and the theme is GIFTS. My card features a somewhat unfriendly pile of gifts, but I think it's kind of fun for my son!!

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Do Not Open til Creepmas; Uniko - Simply Said Christmas, Essentially Christmas
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versamark
Dies: Lil Inkers - Dual Stitched Rectangles #2, Stitched Panels
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Basic Black, Real Red, Pistachio Pudding; Copics; Wink of Stella - Clear; White Embossing Powder

I love this pile of gifts - they're really wicked with fangs and scary eyes. And, of course, there's snakes too. This is not a traditional Christmas card, but my kids are both fans of Creepmas, and this fits the bill perfectly. I printed the image on white card, coloured it with Copics and added lots of sparkle with a clear Wink of Stella brush. The layout is based on this week's sketch at My Favourite Things Wednesday Sketch Club - MFTWSC#294 and the colours are from this week's Colour Q Challenge - cQc#355. On the inside I cut a mat of red design paper and simply stamped a little gift on the white panel.

Do visit our blog to see rather more traditional Christmas cards from the rest of the team. Have fun!!