Double Whiff of Candy!

Fran at Franmade Cards and Things is offering 2 Whiff of Joy stamps, one each to 2 winners - 'Charlie with presents' and 'Teenage Lizzie'. The first winner picks their favourite, then the next has the one that's left. These being my latest favourite stamps, I will definately be entering, and I don't mind which one I get if I win, they're both so gorgeous. Finishes Tuesday 2nd December.

Friday Sketchers 29 and Cute Card Thursday 38

The challenge this week on Friday Sketchers is a fab sketch by Beatrix. I turned it around to suit an upright DL card. I've noticed that Cute Card Thursday's challenge this week is to make a lilac card, so I've decided to combine the challenges. The image is a Spiral Whisper stamp called Snowball Maddie water coloured with pencils and stickles added for snow. Mounted onto lilac mirri card. Papers used are lilac patterns from the English Paper Company. Purple ribbon added with a knot at one end and a glittery star at the other. White Prima flower is stippled with a little lilac ink, as are the papers, then a sparkly button added. Winter Wonderland stamped with black Versafine, and a few stamped snowflakes added.

I've been Tagged!

I've been tagged by hello gorgeous and also by Anita. Thanks guys.

I have to list 7 random or weird facts about myself. Ok here goes:

1. Before giving up work, I was a hairdresser.
2. I used to enter competitions for up to 6 hours a day and won £12k worth of prizes in a year. (why did I give this up? must be mad lol)
3. I don't like summer.
4. Dentists absolutely terrify me.
5. When I was younger I wouldn't eat toast unless it was burnt black.
6. I don't do text messages.
7. I was into punk music in my teens and had pink spiky hair for a while.

I'll invite the first 7 people who answer this post to play tag with. I'd like to get to know some other bloggers, so please play along.

Another Award!

I'm very honoured to have received an award from my friend Maxine.
This award states that:
This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY- nearness in space, time and relationships
These blogs are exceedingly charming
These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends
They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement
Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated
Please give more attention to these writers
Deliver this award to 8 bloggers who may then pass it on.

I will offer this award to the people who follow my blog, and are becoming my friends.

Award!

I've been given an award from my lovely friend from Trimcraft, May.

The rules for passing this award on are
1. The winner may put this award on their blog
2. Put a link to the person who sent this award to you
3. Nominate 5 blogs
4. Put links to their blogs
5. Leave a message for your nominees
Choose only 5

I think I'll pass this on to all the lovely people whose blogs I follow, as I can't choose 5 over the others. I really enjoy visiting their blogs, and am thankful for any comments they leave for me.

Jane's Blog Candy.

My friend Jane has some blog candy in the form of Dovecraft goodies up for grabs to celebrate 1000 hits on her blog. Well done Jane. It finishes midday, Friday 28th November.

A Funky Snowflake Christmas

I've managed to do 2 challenges in one. Challenge 37 on Cute Card Thursday is to see 'snow' or snowflakes on your card, and Penny Black Saturday Week 24 is 'Funky Christmas'. They are asking for Christmas Creations with a twist ie stay away from the traditional colours and create something different. I went for mainly pink and black. I used a PB Hedgie on a snowball stamp which I coloured with H2Os and Marvy le Plume. I mounted it onto black glitter card, then silver mirri card. I added pink and black ribbons in a bow on DCWV snowflake card. I then added some snowflakes and a circle sentiment with a snowflake in the centre.

Magnolia Vs Stampavie Week 4

The challenge at Magnolia Vs Stampavie this week is 'Get The Feeling'. The idea is to get as much texture going on in your work as possible. I've used a Sarah Kay image coloured with water colour pencils. I added a little bit of red and gold Stickles to the tree and then stippled brown ink round the image. All papers Basic Grey granola. Put brown BG paper through the Cuttlebug to emboss with a Christmas ef, then sanded and added some gold ink. Magnolia circle Christmas sentiment stamped and embossed in black and layered. Lastly, I added a red Prima flower with a snowflake brad and the word 'SNOW' in chipboard. I did some faux stitching on the backing paper.

Whiff of Joy Challenge 9 and A Spoonful of Sugar

Whiff of Joy have a sketch challenge this week. The sketch is by Heather and it's fab. I realised that this card also fits the Spoonful of Sugar Challenge this week 'Blooming Marvellous' to use flowers or a floral creation. I used my new Lizzie stamp (I love it) coloured with H2Os (first time I've used them) and Sakura Stardust.Matted and layered on various backing papers inc. Anna Griffin and DCWV. Poinsiettas made myself and coloured with H2Os and gold pearlidoodles. Added ribbon and sentiment.

A Stamp a Day on offer ! Day 14

Sally at Bootiful Stampz is giving away a stamp a day for the whole of November. That is so generous, and it'd be great to win.

Debbie's Blog Candy.

Debbie at Passion For Crafts has some Copics and Sugar Nellie stamps as well as the gorgeous new Swell Noel 12x12 pad from Kay & Co and the matching Pleated Grand Adhesions. WOW WOW WOW, please let me win this. You have till 5PM next wednesday - 26th November to enter.

Daring Cardmakers Challenge

I love birds, so when i found out the challenge this week on Daring Cardmakers was to do with birds I just had to enter. I distressed some white card. Added shades of browns ink and swirls, then stamped the Inkadinkado birds in blue Versafine over the top and added a couple of metal buttons. I used 7gypsies Savannah backing papers and added Prima brown flowers and a brad to finish. I'm not too sure whether I like the result or not.

Blog Candy at Carlz Cardz

Carly at Carlz Cardz has lots of fab blog candy on offer. Closes 29th November and there will be 4 winners!

House Mouse Challenge 14

House Mouse Challenge this week is : All About Christmas. I've made a little gift bag with a template on double sided red/green card. Stamped snowmen over the outside with Versamark, then embossed with black embossing powder. Stamped the House Mouse image and then water coloured with pencils. Stamped some holly with Tombow pens straight to stamp. Added red Stickles to the berries. Punched image with a large scallop circle punch and added green gems. Added the image to the bag with foam pads. Lastly, I added some red, white and green fibres.

Anita's Blog Candy

Anita has some great candy on offer to celebrate the birth of her fab online store Anita's Crafting Cavern. The candy is a shopping trip through the store, you select your own goodies, rather than Anita choose for you. Closing date Monday 1st December.

Whiff of Joy Challenge

The challenge at WOJ this week is to make a Christmas cards using one of their stamps, with NO BLUE. I used Dovecraft Victorian backing paper. Put HOTP brown distressed paper through the cuttlebug, then used green chalks on it. WOJ lantern stamp coloured with water colour pencils. Added green ribbon, snowflakes which I coloured green and chipboard sentiment from Dovecraft Contemporary range.

Spots and Dots!

I made some new Christmas cards and realised that this one fits in with the challenge on Cupcake Crafts of Spots and Dots.I used a scallop template on silver mirri card. Added tree topper with beads and snowflakes to it. (You can't see the beads on the tree too well because of the glare from the holographic card of the tree.) I then used blue with silver embossed stars and dots backing paper layered onto silver mirri card. Added topper with foam pads. Glued silver wavy mirri card and then added a sentiment.

Fretwork

I thought I'd try my hand at a bit of fretwork. Not being that experience with a craft knife I didn't find it very easy. However, I was really pleased with the result. Inside: Fretwork by WS Designs on gold pearl card. Background paper by K & Co. Dark green ribbons added with Laura Ashley s/a ribbons down the middle. Outside: K & Co. paper (same as inside) added to gold pearl card. Best Wishes glittered sentiment added to K & Co. and music sheet. Added gold metal embellishments.

Friendship Swap

Last week I made a pocket card for a Friendship swap. We swapped images, Sarah Kay, WOJ, Spiral Whisper, Tilda etc. The card I sent is the top red one, and the card sent to me is the pretty pink card.

Blog Candy of Mimi Stamps

There are 2 fab Mimi stamps on offer here. I'd like to wish Pink Gem Designs the best of luck with the new Mimi stamps. I'm sure I will become a customer as they're gorgeous stamps.
Here's what Janet says:
To celebrate the launch of my new business I am giving away two Mimi stamps as blog candy, Party Mimi & Mimi With Chicks. All you have to do to enter the draw is leave a comment here and then post on your blog about Pink Gem Designs. The draw will take place on Tuesday 18th November at 7pm so good luck! X

Christening

I had to make a card for my nephew (on hubby's side) son's Christening. I found this really hard as I've never done a Christening card before, and it was for a toddler rather than a baby. So I scoured the internet for something and came up with this.I downloaded the pyramage and backing paper from a freebie site. Added blue mirri card and a ribbon with slider and then put in an insert with a cross sticker. Unfortunately I wasn't well enough on Sunday to travel to Manchester for the ceremony, but apparently a good time was had by all.

Daughter's Boyfriend passed Driving Test

Here's the card I made for my daughter's boyfriend, who passed his driving test first go last week. Well done Colin.

Wedding Anniversary

Last week was also my 8th Wedding Anniversary. We didn't do much for it as I had been bought a Cuttlebug as my prezzie. I made the card using backing paper from Joanna Sheen's Dancing with Shadows for A5 cardstock and image also from same CD. Put image into a small aperture card, which I added velcro to so it would stay closed. (I put an extra message inside this card). Added aperture card to black card and attached some lace, then secured to cardstock and then added insert.

Been to see Santa!

I've been neglecting my blog for the last week as I've been quite poorly with the lupus. I'm starting to feel a bit better now, so I thought I'd put a nice, happy post to remind everyone how close we are to Christmas!
I took my son to Harrods last week to see Santa. You have to book now, and by the time I got round to it there weren't many dates left. We went with a friend of mine and her 8 year old son, and the kids had a lovely day (so did the mums in the handbag department of Harrods). We went to the Natural History Museum first to see the dinosaurs. They've certainly got it all worked out there, as when you come out of the dinosaur part, it leads you straight into the shop. So, £10 lighter off we went to Harrods. First visit - the handbag department-and a lovely Marc Jacobs bag for mum. Then onto Santa. I expected to see a lot of people around, but we went straight in - a good start. Santa was very chatty and when he asked the boys if they'd been naughty, my son's hand went straight in the air, but he did promise Santa he'd be good now (haha). They were given a huge chocolate coin, a badge (mums got badges too) and a Christmas sticker book, all free. We did buy a photo, which was a lovely reminder of the day. My son's 7 now, so I'm hoping we'll be able to go again next year.

WOW My first 2 awards both on the same day!

I'm in shock, I got my first ever award, and my second ever award! First was from Maxine and second from Jane . Thanks to both of you, I'm thrilled.

The rules are
1 The winner can put the logo on their blog.
2. Link it to the person who gave it to them.
3. Nominate at least 7 more blogs
4. Put the links of the blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message on the blogs you have nominated

I've nominated:

1. Gail
2. Sam
3. Jilly
4. Katie
5. May
6. Jenni
7. Jude

Elaine's Blog Candy

Elaine at My Creative Corner is celebrating turning 40 by offering some Promarkers as blog candy. I really, really want to win these. I hope you have a great birthday Elaine. The lucky winner will be drawn on Sunday 16th November.

Ribbon Swap Cards

I participated in a ribbon swap on Trimcraft last week. The idea was to send about 7 ribbons of varying length to 3 people and you got 3 back. I made Tilda pocket cards. I coloured the Tildas with water colour pencils. Various backing papers. Inside, I added peel offs to the pockets. I used a ribbon card for a template to keep the ribbon tidy, and added velcro to close the cards.Finally, I made enveloboxes to send them in.