It's a Quirky great day for a picnic, and a late Alpha challenge page.

Doris choose the theme of Picnic or Barbeque at Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog this week. We are sponsored by Crackerbox Palace who are providing 3 generous prizes, and provided these images and more for the team to use. I used ant, small watermelon slice, small pie, plaid rug, picnic basket and ant picnic sign. I printed the images on white card and coloured them with Promarkers, then printed the ants on green card and cut out the coloured images to add to the green, paper piecing the ants. Does it need some ribbon? I might add some gingham to it (updated photo, card now has ribbon from Crafty Ribbons). The Glorious day sentiment is from a Hero Arts set. The Life's a Picnic sentiment is from Crackerbox Palace.

Hop on over to Quirky Crafts to see some more great examples, and lovely images and please have a go at the challenge, and share your makes with us.

I did have a few problems while making the card, I decided to print the ants onto green card and piece their bodies, and that was ok, I made the main panel up. Then I decided to die cut the sentiment, I had it in green and white, decided to use the green one - the die slipped and it was ruined. So I tried to cut the white one - same thing happened. Then I tried to find more green to print on, the printer would not print, after several attempts I realised the card was slightly different - that is when I found that the sheet I printed on was the only one exactly like that! So I had to re-print the white sheet and use that. I found some green I think will go through the printer but it was a different shade of green altogether! 

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

http://daringcardmakers.blogspot.co.uk/Daring Cardmakers - colour combo

Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon - Thursdays

This is another T page that I did for the Alpha challenge at The Craft Barn, and I was working on it Saturday evening trying to make the deadline and didn't, it took longer than I thought it would. So not entered but it was fun to do. I chose Travail meaning work (hard work, manual work, handicrafts, supervised pratical work,, housework etc), and Tricoter meaning to knit. So I have knitting chickens by Penny Black, knitting House Mouse by Stampendous, and some Quickutz die cuts, and on the work side Monica the seamstress by Kraftin Kimmie, fireman and housewife by Paper Nation, and I love to read which is a Sugar Nellie stamp by Krista Smith. Saws and paint brush are Visible Image stamps.

I won blog candy!

So far I have won Crackerbox Palace stamps as blog candy for commenting on their cards, and I won another stamp for making a card with the blog candy stamps.

I won a House Mouse project book and CD from Joanna Sheen, I was the random picked winner of the prize, they pick a top three but the prize is random, lucky me!

I also won Bev's Bag from Crafty Ribbons Challenge blog.

I won Laura's 111th post candy too, Laura is on the Crafty Ribbons Challenge DT and I went to look at something she made which is when I found her blog candy.

Before that I won Kraftin Kimmie blog hop candy and a challenge candy.

So I am on a roll right now!

Anyone for Tennis 2

Another version of Anyone for Tennis, this time the House Mouse image is on straight and I used happy birthday paper by DCWV stitched onto the card blank and turquoise ric rac from Crafty Ribbons. I stamped and heat embossed the word Celebrate to complete the card, and there is a matching tag.

Anyone for Tennis?

I have been meaning to use this stamp for a long time, and finally I have. It is a House Mouse stamp of course, coloured with Promakers and the angle was another happy accident I decided to keep. I added some racket charms and a love charm, tennis, love, get it? Paper is DCWV which I stitched round, ribbon is Crafty Ribbons, and the greeting was stamped and embossed with a Stampabilities stamp then die cut with Nestabilties long rectangle dies. I am happy with it, what do you think? (I know no cards for ages then three in a row like buses).

Birthday mice

It is my son's birthday today, and he really wanted a particular kettle so I thought this card would be good with the teapot!

This is a very sweet House Mouse stamp, used for the first time and easy to colour. I coloured the image with Promarkers, cut out with a Nestabilities large labels die, cut a panel with the same set and embossed it with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I added a different label for the letters Son to go on, the letters are a Sizzlet alphabet called Bounce. I added one small mouse and some Crafty Ribbons polka dot ribbon. I also love this very bright green card that I used for the card base and the letters. My son said he wouldn't fancy the tea with those two in it!

I just found the perfect challenge to enter this into: House Mouse Challenges Warm and Fuzzy and Passion for Promarkers Celebrations.

Quirky Crafts Challenge 37 - recipe by Anne.

The recipe is to use red and gold, must be two different types of gold (say card and ribbon), one stamped image, one length of ribbon and one patterned paper.

I cut the card with a Sizzix Bigz XL die, the red frames are a Nellie Snellen die set, the inner scalloped square is flat to the card the outer frame is raised off the card for a 3D effect using silicone glue but hard to see that from the photo. The image is House Mouse coloured with Promarkers, and cut with a Spellbinders Nestabilities square die. The flowers are punched with a Nellie Snellen punch and emboss set with added gems. Ribbon was WH Smiths, magic cord from Crafty Ribbons, bow made using the Bowdabra.

I think most of the design team have decided to go for something Christmassy, hop on over to Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog to see the other gorgeous creations and to enter your own.

I have entered the following challenges too:

Crafty Cardmakers - Use something that was a freebie. My freebie is the paper that the flowers are punched from.

Paper Garden Projects blog - holiday cards

So messy in my craft room!

It is very messy, I can hardly move in here. I have new stash arrive, piled up and not tidied away, and I am trying to make a wedding card for my Son and nearly wife for Sunday, and I am stuck on the wording. Not got a lot of space, do I put their names, one is usually shortened the other is long. Or do I just put "for the Bride and Groom", I have those stamps, or I could cut out letters, the card is too thick for the Robo.

I am using the same materials as the invites etc. which I think will be a good keepsake, but I haven't decided on the inside yet or the back if I carry on to the back.

I made another graduation card, not for anyone but for the basket at work It is very similar to the first one but I do like this stamp by House Mouse.

No Quirky Crafts Challenge this week, we are having a break for the summer, though there could be the odd challenge thrown in and all the existing challenges are open for people to enter for as long as they like.

Graduation card

My brother graduates Tuesday, congratulations brother! He deserves something good to happen, he has had a rough couple of years.

Stamp is by House Mouse, coloured with Prismacolour pencils, shapes cut with Nestabilities dies, ribbon by Crafty Ribbons, star brads, foiled greeting was part of stash won for having a card published.

More stash

I just had a pile of stamps arrive from the USA (all the House Mouse ones and the PB bicycles stamp). I have bought from this seller before but now she is not using Global Priority and told me she sent an email to that effect, which I probably read and promptly forgot. So I didn't check how much postage was going to be, usually in the Priority envelope it is about $12 which is around £7 right now, but I had to pay $21 for this lot so double and with the exchange rate going down not so many bargains about but I did get quite a lot of stamps.

The stamps are mostly still cheaper than over here despite the low exchange rate, but I will think twice about purchasing again, at least without checking postage! Recently I have been buying some stamps from the U.K. because I have found them as cheap as the USA and postage is less.

There is one USA seller (beecreativestamps) who packs in as many bubble envelopes as it takes whatever the size of your order but only charges around $15 tops and bears the cost herself of any extra postage, and she now gives me 5% off all purchases for buying so much from her! I don't know how she makes any money from this.

Yesterday I had my goodies arrive for featuring in the article in Quick Cards Made Easy about latest craft purchase, it was 16 sheets of 12"x12" paper and several sheets of 3d card stickers all by Karen Foster.

I have a package on the way as a swap too, I have to put up a parcel of stash to send back which shouldn't be hard.

Yesterday I bought a "few" more dies on the Ellison site, they are having a sale on many items, some were reduced from £13.50 to £3.50 - how could I resist! I know I can get them for around £10.99 from Cutting Edge Crafts but £3.50 is still a bargain, and some of the thin cuts were down to £1 or £1.79 each. I put it down to retail therapy as I wasn't feeling well, and when I finally managed to get out of bed, and dressed by the evening I was on the spend!

I did take a couple of dies out of the basket again, they were the less reduced ones and three that were to make small cards with windows and a matching envelope (I assumed it matched) but I figured I could do those without the aid of a die but I kept one of the £9.85 ones to make a Christmas hanging star.

I thought I would show you some of my recent purchases and the prize stash. I had to include the Big Shot, I know I bought her a while ago but she is so pretty! The BS is not that way round now, I am left handed so I have the flower side showing and no gems.

What about the Inkadinkado Inchie stamp sets then, I haven't done a lot of inchies but I love these sets and there are at least two more sets that they make.
I added a spider to the Halloween card but I had a lot of trouble making him stick, and in the end I had to use silicone glue which is showing in the photo. I added another leaf to the baby pumpkin too.








Here are a few of the topper cards I made from the Arty Miss mystery box, no skill required! I haven't been sleeping well lately so last night was sitting up late sorting Christmas bits into a Really Useful box with compartment tray, before that I kept catching the corner of the box they were balanced on and sending them flying all over the floor, will be picking up for months!

Spooktacular card

This card is to cover two challenges, one is House Mouse BOO! challenge, the other is This Thursday The Spooky Season. I had to improvise with the HM stamps, the graduate became aWizard with broom, and the Christmas bauble became half a pumpkin, both got new wizard hats.

Spider webs, broom and boo stamped with Hero Arts Owl-oween set, and die cut Pumpkin by Accucut. I don't think I did a good job of the colouring trying to make the robes dark but not losing the definition was hard.

Make a wish

I made this card from the stamped image I received in the PCJ stamped image swap. It is a Stampabilities House Mouse image (and I may just have to get this one), which I coloured with water colours, cut out with Nestabilities into a scalloped rectangle and mounted it on brown leather effect card. I made a yellow card blank which I cut with a scalloped blade (though I think it would be better to cut it while the card is open as I have a reverse effect).

I added a Cuttlebug die cut slider, with a Nestabilities rectangle threaded with Papermania ribbon. I stamped "Wishing You" from the Stampendous small greetings set. It took ages to decide which words to stamp and I added the dots myself but after I had stamped them I realised they were perfect for the image. As a child we were taught to pick dandelion clocks and blow at the same time making a wish!

So this is a multi purpose card, you could add any greeting to follow the dots!

(Next time I must draw a pencil line before I put the ribbon on, it is a little crooked!)

I added Faux stitching with a white pen and now I can enter it in the House Mouse Monday challenge blog challenge for this week, which is stitching!

New stamps and Christmas cards

I have managed to take a few photos of new stamps and the Christmas cards so far. I have created a new slide show for Christmas photos, I think they tend to take over and many are just quick and sticky efforts and not a great deal of work. Oh and I put in a photo of the mystery box I bought from Arty Miss.
These cards are using up the stuff I have got in the mystery box (and Vanessa helped make them) and have accumulated over the past couple of years, I will get some stamped ones done eventually!