Cute Card Thursday Challenge - In the Water

Just a quick post, I've not long been in from work and just fancy becoming a couch potatoe for the evening, or maybe I'll make a card? Now there's a surprise I hear my o/h say lol!!! So here's my card for the Cute Card Thursday Challenge, the theme is "In the Water"...


I used my newest Penny Black stamp "On the beach", a cute kitty in a bikini! Hope you like her, thanks for taking the time to look! Off to lie on the sofa now, have a lovely evening!

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Stars and Stripes

This week's theme over at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge blog is Stars and Stripes. I've done a Christmas card as I need to get ahead a bit with these! I've used my "Santa Spotting stamp again but this time with a different colour scheme. The stars are pretty obvious, but the stripes a very subtle, you might just see that he's carrying a stripey stocking. Here is the card...


I used:

Penny Black "Santa Spotting" stamp
See D's sentiment stamp
Paper from Paper Mill Shop (dk blue and grey)
Snowflake stamp from Tanda Stamps
White acrylic paint to stamp snowflake
Whispers Brush Markers to colour Ted
Embossing Powder for message
Flowers, gems and ribbon from stash

Thanks for the award!

Just a quickie to say thank you so much to Diane for nominating me for the Brilliante Weblog award! Thanks Diane for thinking of me, and same back at you! Your blog is one of my fav's!

Santa Spotting! Friday Sketchers Sketch # 16

Yesterday I received my new Penny Black stamp that I ordered from Happy Stampers (who are great, so efficient etc etc...and they post to France for free!!!), it's called Santa Spotting! I wasn't going to buy more Xmas stamps but he's just so cute, plus I think he can do more than just Xmas (if you leave out the stocking). I've followed the sketch from this week's Friday Sketchers, which I think is a great base for any type of card. I wanted to try various ways of colouring so I've done 2 similar cards, one using watercolour paints and the other using Whispers brush markers blended with a Whispers brushmarker blending pen (first time I've done this). I've photographed the colouring close up so you can see the difference. I think my fav is still the paints but I like the effect the pens give too. This is the one using watercolours...




And the one using the brush markers...




I used:
Penny Black stamp "Santa Spotting"
Sentiment stamp from See D's
Papers from Dovecraft
Watercolour paints
Whispers Brush Markers
Rest is from stash

Penny Black Saturday Challenge # 11 - No cards allowed

Well I'm quicker than usual this week, I've already done my offering for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge. The theme is "NO CARDS", so I did an ATC 'cos I haven't done one for ages and I had an idea to use my new PB clear set "Twelve Days of Christmas". My hubby kindly pointed out that an ATC is a card; technically it is but not really, and it does state that we can do an ATC on the PBSC blog, so there! Even though I'm english I do live in France so have gone for a real interpretation of "Les Français" and "La France" (he he)! I like it, here it is:


I used:
-Penny Black Clear Set "12 days of Christmas" - French Hen (or Coq as the French say) coloured again with w/c paints
-Clear Stamps from Royal & Langnickel (Eiffel Tour & France)
-Crop-a-dile for eyelets
-Rest from my stash, the French Flag (Le Tricolore) is done using scraps from my scrap box

Cute Card Thursday Challenge - Bright Colours

Hi again! Well I think this is a pretty good challenge considering the miserable weather we've been having (well not so much in France but definately in the UK so I'm told)! This week's Cute Card Thursday Challenge is to use bright colours, so I've done a card using a Lilo & Milo image (or Lilo & Stitch as my o/h calls them). I've kinda played it safe a bit on the colours but they're bright, or at least I think so. Here's the card...


I used:

- Image (again RAK from Tracy, you're so kind) which I coloured in with w/c paints
- Papers from my stash (lilac Bazzil card, pink paper Paper Mill Shop, run through my Cuttlebug-swiss dots)
- Sentiment is a mixture of two; with is stamped from Woodware mini phrases and Love is a rub-on from Paper Mania
- Heart is a die-cut from Paper Mania
- Ribbon, buttons and gems from stash

Friday Sketchers - Sketch # 15

I'm on a roll! Two cards in two days, ok I know it's modest but it's a start! This one is for Friday Sketchers, sketch # 15 by Mumur (she's lives in France like me). I liked this sketch when I saw it and as it's Friday again tomorrow I thought I'd better do a card before it's too late! I used a Tilda image which I love, maybe I'll have to save some pennies to but her (thanks Tracy for sending her to me). I coloured her with w/c paints which I love using at the mo! Here it is...




I used:
- Tilda image (RAK from Tracy, thanks) coloured with watercolour paints
- White card
- Flowered paper from Dovecraft
- Card from Paper Mania
- Sentiment from Three Bugs in a Rug
- Fibre, flower & brad from stash

My First Christmas Card !

Well I've finally done it, my very first Christmas card this year! I've been putting it off but today the weather is grey and miserble (but no rain) so I thought blue tones were in order! This is for two challenges: Tilda & Co Sunday Challenge this week is all about the colour BLUE, so this is my take on "Cold as Ice". The sketch is from Katrina (#9) at Papertake Weekly Challenge, which I really enjoyed doing! Thanks for taking a look...





I used:

- Tilda image (RAK from Tracy, thanks)
- Yuletide stamp from a See D's set
- white card, metallic blue card
- snowflake paper from docrafts
- cuttlebug embossing folder "swiss dots"
- angel hair (behind image) mounted onto silver card
- glitter glue on Tilda's fur
- fibre and snowflakes from stash

Penny Black Saturday Challenge # 10 - Ribbons

Well seeing as summer is drawing to an end (boo hoo) I thought I'd make this one quite bright! The theme for this week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge is ribbons, which I love! But for some reason I found it hard to do something out of the ordinary. In the end I tried to make some little flowers by stitching along one edge of the ribbon then gathering the stitching to make the flower. I would have liked to have added more ribbon but didn't want to overdo it?! Maybe I'll make another card, just to try out some more ribbon! Anyway, here's what I did...


I used:

- Penny Black images from "Bubbly" set
- Watercolour pencils (Faber Castell)
- Sentiment stamp from Woodware
- Gingham ribbon I bought by the metre
- Brads from my stash
- Chalks & ink to distress
- Paper from Pink Petticoat, Paper Mill & Tesco
- Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" embossing folder

Some Blog Candy Giveaways!

Just wanted to let you all know that I came across some blog candy up for grabs whilst blogging tonight. Jane is celebrating her blog's 1st Birthday on the 21st of August, so you've still got a few days to enter for her candy. She's also got some lovely creations to look at, go on take a peek...

Also Juliet at Juliets Paper Palace is giving away some lovely candy, including some Basic Grey Paper, you've got until the 23rd to enter.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge # 9 - Sketch 2

Hope this isn't too late for last Saturday's challenge! I've made this card for a friend who is celebrating her 2 year Anniversary this weekend! The Penny Black image was sent to me by Tracy, thanks. I used bazzil card as the background, the "congratulations" vellum, ribbon and gems from my stash, embossing was done on my Cuttlebug and the sentiment was hand written. You might notice that I flipped the sketch on it's side, I think that's allowed?!

Hubby's Birthday!

Well yesterday was my hubby's birthday! I set about making his card on Wednesday night, but having been away for a few weeks I had crafters block, I just couldn't seem to find any inspiration! But I finally made a card; he was happy with it even if I thought it lacked inspiration. But that was the easy bit...what do you buy a man who has everything (well almost)? What made it worse was that in a remote little town in the French countryside the choice of gifts is pretty limited! I spent 2 hours trying to find something original but I have to say it was a bit soul destroying! Urr, should I buy a baguette, a bottle of wine or a douzen snails (in garlic butter of course)?! Well I went for the snails so had to cook them (urgh), but as they were frozen it wasn't so bad. I also managed to find a tub of Haribo sweets so got those aswell! He was content with that, but I did say he could have an IOU too!

Anyway here is the card, I think it's a bit plain but it's all I came up with. I used my Cuttlebug, the Penny Black stamp was coloured with watercolours and the rest is from my stash...thanks for looking!

I Love Your Blog Award

I just wanted to thank two lovely girls for giving me this fab award! I've not long been back from my hols in the UK so haven't done much blogging at all (no posts for a while I know), but I know that I have some friends that pop by now and again just to say hi, how's things? So thanks ever so much Tracy and Holly for thinking of me! I'm sending this award straight back at you as it's nice to have great blogging buddies like you!

You just can't keep me away!

Already been on holiday a week so started to miss my blogging pals, but luckily brought the laptop with me and got online! You just can't keep me away! It's definately very addictive! Speaking of addictions, I've spend another small fortune on craft materials since being back in the uk (I'm so deprived in France he he). I know I shouldn't, and I need crafty stuff like a hole in the head, but I can't help it! Does anyone have a cure?