Whoo hooo, did you see Crafty Ribbons?

My card posted below is now in a glorious photo on the Crafty Ribbons blog, also there is a photo of the inside which I forgot to take. It looks so professional, and is beautifully arranged as are all the creations.

Crafty Ribbons challenge card

At last I have finished my Crafty Ribbons Challenge card and I can post it off tomorrow, better late than never. I am also going to use it as my DT card for Quirky Crafts Forum challenge 20 which again is sponsored by The Crafty Pad and the challenge is bears. I have also recently found a challenge blog called Just Cute Bears Challenge, so I am entering it there too. These grossgrain Valentine's ribbons from Crafty Ribbons are lovely, really modern, I love grossgrain, Crafty Ribbons gave me these for the challenge, but I had to have some umbrella ones they have just got in too, and I added muddy paws and cupcake ribbons too.

I made the shape by running some card through the Xyron 510 both sides, then I stuck the ribbon on and die cut it with the Big Shot and Sizzix scalloped circle, Nesties weren't up to the job, I think the grossgrain ribbon is too thick, I couldn't even hole punch it with the Cropadile Big Bite and had to hide the damage that caused.

The bear is stamped with a really cute stamp available from The Crafty Pad and designed by Debbie Moore. Sentiment stamped with a Hero Arts Cling stamp.

Raven card amended

Here is my Raven Card posted below but with a greeting added, I felt she needed something extra but didn't know if it could be used on the sketch.

Wow, got to have this.

Sir Tim is launching a new die cutter, he has also brought out some dies. I think this is going to be a must have, but what will it cost and when will it get here I wonder? There are more pics of this prototype in action on Tim's blog.

Mystery blog candy

I so want to enter for this mystery candy but Brenda's blog Floral Fantasies is one of the blogs that I am unable to leave any comment on and I really don't know why, so this will be so frustrating missing the chance, but see the logo in my side bar to find the mystery candy. Whatever could it be? Why can't I comment?
Edited to say thanks Maddy Hill from Mad Imaginations, Maddy kindly entered me in the mystery candy.

Sugar Bowl sketch

I was trying to join in with the previous Sugar Bowl challenge and didn't make it, but I have managed this sketch which I turned around. I also added a bloom as it looked a bit bare. Here is the sketch:

and here is my card which I am also entering in the Passion for ProMarkers girlie challenge:

Charmed blog candy

Karen at Crafty Goings On is giving away this gorgeous Charmed Delectable pixie stamp which I would love to own, pop over and leave your blog link to be in the draw. You have a week to enter.

To cheer you

I made this card to cheer up a colleague who has been off work since before Christmas after slipping and injuring her knee on the ice.
Ann is totally fed up being at home now. I used a C4 card blank, K&Co paper, and a Sizzix Bigz bird die, I also used Cordinations Whitewash paper embossed with a Cuttlebug folder, and Crafty Ribbons ribbon, finally a Dovecraft Fantasy brad. Letters cut with Sizzix Lollipop dies.

Big packet of ribbons arrived

Thanks Crafty Ribbons, what a lot I got!  Now I do have a (cough) lot of ribbon, I like to look at it. So I decided I had to have some of the umbrella grossgrain ribbon, and then added cupcake, muddy paws.............. I havejust put an order in.
I also received my EZ mount from Joanna Sheen, with a set of stamps with a train theme, DH is back into his model railway so it will be perfect for his card, and some tassles that were in the sale.

Yesterday was a snow day, didn't try to get to work unlike today, I spent the day sorting my wood mounted stamps into the new Tuff Boxes, I ordered the wrong ones at first and 9 of them, it was entirely my fault but luckily there is a shop in Bath so I could take them back there. Ryman don't sell the A4+ version and as I have over 30 I wanted the last ones to match. So I ordered 6 from Office Dog, thought I had just the right amount, sorted stamps, photographed stamps put them on the shelf ---- then found another box of stamps and wished I had ordered 7 not 6! I got rid of a few older stamps, or put them ready to go, some to my neice next time I see her, some for sale I hope, or to swap or give away.

I am close to taking the "after" video or it might just be photos as I still can't work out the video editing software to get the "before" to the right length for Flickr.

Its snowing again

Will it be enough to make everyone stay home from work I wonder? I have lots I can do, I have to make my Crafty Ribbons Challenge project, sort lots of stamps, photograph and catalogue them and plenty more. I am stocked up with food to last a few days too having been shopping again tonight.
The lovely Ali at Crafty Ribbons told me not to give away my ribbony goodness, Crafty Ribbons are kindly going to sponsor Quirky Crafts forum and provide prizes for a challenge - how kind is that? Ali is so nice and all the people at Crafty Ribbons, really nice people so go over and visit the blog and the shop which is having a great January sale now. Link is in the next post.

Whoo hoo I won more ribbons.

I won the Friday Freebie over on Crafty Ribbons blog again! Some of this gorgeous goodness will be winging its way to Deanne over on Quirky Crafts forum to give as prizes for the fortnightly challenges. Now Crafty Ribbons have just got in some gorgeous gross-grain ribbons with umbrellas on and I think I will have to buy them all, will look great on cards with umbrellas.

A is for Angel

There is a new challenge blog: the ABC Christmas Challenge blog, and I thought maybe I could get ahead with the cards for next year (not sure how long I will keep it up). I found this image that I had stamped in white Stazon on black pearlescent card. You can see all the colours in the black picked up by the flash, I only used black and white card and a strip of red inside the card to show the cut outs. The dies used on this card were Spellbinders Fleur de Lis pendant and petite border sets, and the square is from a Nestabilities set. I am not sure if this works with such a big image, and I did consider added a greeting but decided it was better without. I added an angel charm that I got from Caz in blog candy. What do you think?

There is also a say no to word verification campaign going on, I turned verification off long ago and moderate instead, and how often I have left a comment on a blog, pressed back or closed it, only to see the verification flash up and my comment is lost, and I don't usually go back! Also sometimes the verification word is either unreadable or doesn't work at all. I have seen spammers still leave unpleasant comments on blogs with only verification but with moderation only you can choose to reject them and they do get the message.

Quirky Crafts Challenge 19 - Yellow

The first challenge of 2010 over on Quirky Crafts forum is Anne's Yellow, make a creation including yellow in the design somewhere.
The challenge is sponsored by Debbie Moore of The Crafty Pad, and I used Debbie's Roshell duck digital image to create an A4 calendar which opens to reveal birthday and Christmas reminder sheets for 2009.
Debbie has donated two stamps as the prize that the winner of this challenge will get. So get your yellow stash out and get crafting, any craft project can be entered and you have two weeks to enter.

I enlarged the Roshell image (which is one of the big advantages of using a digital image, apart from not having to store and find them) and printed it on printable pearlescent card which was a bit tricky to colour, but I used my ProMarkers and Trias to do this. I cut the images out with the Victorian Fiskars blade and mounted in on blue pearlescent card which I also mounted the calendar months on and cut the letters and numbers from with Sizzix Lollipop dies. All paper is Papermania and is from a stack issued a few years ago. Blooms are all Prima, gem brads are Dovecraft, blue pearl domes are Papermania, grossgrain polka dot and blue ribbons are from Crafty Ribbons. Calendar was from Crafty Devils but I cut it up, Birthday and Christmas reminders were created by me in Word.

I think it looks really nice on my wall.

This is the inside with a  Christmas card and gift list on the left and birthday reminder by month on the right.

 

I also made this birthday card for my son, the stamps are Cherry Pie Art Stamps and I thought it would remind him of his honeymoon which was partly in Dubai where he saw camels, he said "why have you made a card with camels on in the middle of winter", so it was lost on him slightly! I also stamped some matching wrapping paper, but it didn't photograph well and is gone now. Sentiment is from a Daisy and Dandelion stamp set.

New goodies

This grab box was from Graphicus, what a lot I got!

Then this from Stamps.co.uk in the sale, and I sort of forgot what I ordered so it was a nice surprise,

and these from the USA, Hero Arts Clings, Penny Blank clings and a Penny Black retired stamp,

finally these from Sugar Nellie, the singles were half price in the New Year special deal,

 

What a lot I got, and today I bought a DoCrafts goody bag, I am trying to give them up but there is some yummy stuff in this one and it is the best I have seen, the darling mini buttons were the deciding factor. Will take a photo later when I have deleted some from my memory card which I keep filling up.

Here is my attempt at making fudge. It was very nice but you could have spread it as it didn't set enough.

Yay - blog makeover worked!

Now I have three columns and a new look thanks to The Cutest Blog on the Block, link is in top left hand corner. I think this summery look will cheer me up and it is not as in your face as the previous one. Also most of the font colours go nicely with this scheme. I am still working out what to put where so things might be moving round.

I'm going to attempt to get three columns on this blog

There is always a chance it will go horribly wrong and I lose everything, so lets hope not! I may have to also get a new look if the current one doesn't work.

Snow boots

You can see how miserable Alfie looks with the snow on his legs, he also hates wearing his coat, different to the happy photo above taken last year!

 Sooty is much more laid back in the last photo, he loves the snow.

 

Snow

It is so cold, I feel sorry for any rough sleepers and the wildlife in this weather. Alfie is not keen on the snow. The birds are hungry, and the local stream is very pretty all captured with my new camera a very welcome Christmas present, it is a Canon EOS500D. I have loads more snow photos, and will bore you with them soon as well as hopefully videos of the craft room horror story and the makeover, but I just need to work out how to edit the video, and I am really struggling to understand the movie editing software.

 

 

 The first fortnightly challenge of 2010 on Quirky Crafts forum begins on Sunday, I will soon be able to show you what I have made for my DT example. We have an exciting new sponsor and a great prize for the winner of the new challenge.

Today I had lots of post, the first since the snow. I had a package of sale goodies from Crafty Devils, and two packages of stamps from the USA, I also had a package of gorgeous ribbons from Crafty Ribbons, and I am to make a challenge project using some of them soon.

Quixotic blog candy

Over on the Quixotic Challenge blog there is a mystery parcel to be won, and all you have to do is show your favourite card of 2009 from your personal collection by 5th January.
My favourite card has to be the new home card I made for my son in a story format.