Stereotype!

 This is a mixture of stamps and hopefully will be ok for at least two challenges I want to enter.

The typewriter doll is by Lost Coast, her sexy legs are by Unity Stamps, the circles and spirals are Rubber Dance stamps, and the type stamps are Craftwork Cards.

You might remember my altered French/English dictionary which I started as part of The Craft Barn challenge last year - well this is another page I have done in that dictionary.

The page is painted with white gesso, the typist is stamped on white card and coloured with Promarkers and a Distress marker, circles and spirals are stamped in Distress inks and the torn edges are inked with Distress ink.

The small Rubber Dance circles have words in them and say: "you are unique and so am I" and "this is different" - I think it is! She has typed - "I am not A Stereotype".

When I got careers advice a very long time ago the adviser thought all girls should become typists, he didn't like it if you wanted to become anything else!

I have a list of challenges I want to enter to try not to forget, and already one has passed by so I have to add a different one for that.

Challenges entered:

That Craft Place - anything mixed media (Sun)

Love to Create - #16 anything mixed media or inky (Sun)

The Craft Barn - pens (Sun)

Lost Coast - circles (you can use any stamps) (7th ASept)

Special mention in:

Rubber Dance - colour challenge (Aug - 7th Sept)

Unity tag.

I have labelled another of my stamp files, getting there slowly. This time it is Unity Stamps, and I used the caravan Itty Bitty stamp with a house from the Pixie Lane set to stamp the front of my tag. I coloured the images with Promarkers. The tag is die cut with a Sizzix Tim Holtz designed tag Bigz die.

The back of my tag is stamped with a snowpeep and an owl, I love that owl - looks like my Dad with those glasses. I coloured them with Prismacolor pencils.

Now before I did this I microwaved around 150 Prismacolor pencils, a tip someone pointed me towards when I was having a rant about the constantly breaking pencils, so much so that some were down to stumps before being used and most of them had not been sharpened because I was disheartened. Well I had tried the microwave method on a couple and it seemed to work, so I thought I would go for it and do all of them. This had mixed results, most were fine I managed to sharpen them afterwards and I even sorted them into shades of a colour. Around 40 of them were still breaking, and my metallic set suffered terribly both blistering on the outside and the wood developing pencil length cracks - oh dear. The 40 I redid, half of them worked, the remainder I microwaved for a third and forth longer time, I think they mostly gave in.

Oh and I just upgraded to Windows 10, it is free to do, was really easy and looks good. At first I thought it was a scam, but I found out it is genuine! 

I have entered the following challenges:

Passion for Promarkers - Summer lovin (Tues)

Papertake Weekly - anything goes (Tues)

Crafting by Design - windows (Wed)

I love Promarkers - in the garden (Wed)

Inspiration Destination - #45 anything goes (Wed)

Addicted to stamps - #156 anything goes (Wed)

Allsorts - inspired by Summer, what is more summery than a caravan? (Sat)

Die Cut Divas- favourite holiday - (Aug)

Life's too short.....

I love the sentiment that comes with this Itty Bitty red rubber stamp from Unity. I've often been tempted to start a blog called the lonely sock club, in which I would photograph all the odd socks that end up on my dressing table waiting for a friend, some wait forever - where do those odd socks go?

Anyway I wanted to enter the Unity Challenge (and I have) and this fortnight there is a choice of layouts or/and colour combo - see below. I know I have used green too, but the other colours are from the combo, and I used the sketch. This is much brighter than my usual cards I think. The socks were coloured with Promarkers, Happy Birthday is cut with an IO die, the panels are cut with Spellbinders dies. Papers are by DCWV and were chosen to fit the colour combo and the twine is Tim Holtz paper string.

Inside decorated to match.

I have entered the following challenges:

TTCRD - anything goes Aug 4 - 10

Glitter and Sparkle - anything goes (Tues)

Papertake Weekly - anything goes (Tues)

Inspiration Destination - #45 anything goes (Wed)

Addicted to stamps - #156 anything goes (Wed)

Unity - Be Inspired Jul 9th - Aug 13th (winners 18th)

Creative Fingers - #89 anything goes (Fri)

Chocolate coffee and cards - #87 frame it (Fri)

Fantasy Stampers - lots of layers (Sat 15th Aug)

Our creative corner - Mexico moods (4th Sept)

Humming birds

Here is my first card using the beautiful Stampendous stamp set and die set that I bought at the Shepton Mallet show. I added a sentiment by Unity Stamps which I thought was perfect, this is how I feel when I see something amazing in nature. I think this would be a perfect Spring birthday card for someone special.

I coloured the images with Promarkers, and I used two Versacolor ink pads to ink the sentiment stamp. The birds and two of the flowers are die cut and the flowers are layered. The smaller bird is layered because I couldn't get the die to cut it perfectly. The stamped panel is die cut with a Spellbinders card creator die. The colours I used are for the Rubber Dance colour palette.

My card has flown into the following challenges:

Rubber Dance - colour palette (April)

Die Cut Divas - in the garden (April)

Coffee, Chocolate and cards - use a die cut (Fri)

Fussy and Fancy - #137 Spring Flowers (Fri)

Crafting from the Heart - #57 anything goes (Mon)

Papertake Weekly - my pick - Use a Quote (Tues)

Cute Card Thursday - use a sentiment 

TTCRD - anything goes (May 4th)

That's Crafty - keep it simple (Fri 8th May)

Won:

Red Rubber Inspirational - Spring Birthday (Thurs)

Merry Christmas to you!

Well here it is, Christmas day and all of the fuss will soon be over. We are ready, just about. The dogs are bathed, the bathrooms cleaned and the towels washed, the rest of the house is clean, the beds are made. Shopping is as done as it will be, presents wrapped and labelled, I just have one box to decorate, a special box for a special boy. It will contain some second hand Thomas the Tank Engine track and a Sordor mine and is an extra present that will live here for when Kenny visits.

I think most of the presents under our tree are for Kenny, and Richard has added his presents, they are not all ours. Awaiting our visitors to open them.

This card is made from a Unity stamped snow peeps image that I stamped and coloured, with Promakers, last year and a Spellbinders die cut frame that I made when I got this die, they seemed perfect together. The paper is a freebie from a magazine. The sentiment came with the snow angel, and for this frame I attempted to add white through the die with my Sharpie white paint marker. This was the second attempt, the first was far messier. I think this will be a card for next year. The ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons, and I added snowflake eyelets to the corners to let the lime green card show through.

I have entered the following challenges:

I love Promarkers - anything goes (Jan 6th)

Creative Card Crew - anything goes (Jan 6th)

This is Kenny's card, he loves any sort of vehicle so Santa in his snowmobile by Dustin Pike seems like a good choice. I coloured the image with Promarkers, the paper is Papermania/Docrafts, the ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons.

Inside the card.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday challenges, anything goes - Docraft paper.

I needed a couple of gift card holders and made them with perlescent card and the WR Memory Keepers envelope tool, which made the perfect size holders. I added a couple of images I had stamped and coloured with Promarkers last year. The geese are a Little Claire stamp, and the sheep is a Penny Black stamp.

I haven't decorated the back.

I have entered the following challenges:

Allsorts - last minute gifts (Sat 3rd Jan)

Quirky Secret Garden part 2

This gorgeous young lady is Ashley, a friend of Unky's who has cancer and Unky is giving half the money from the sales of this image to her friend to fund her chemotherapy, how cool is that!

So I thought  would make my card about breast cancer, and I die cut the ribbon with a Sizzlet die, and added a sentiment using a Unity stamp, it says "Be brave, strong and courageous". 

Our other sponsor is Samaflora and the challenge is Secret Garden featuring flowers.

I set Ashley in a garden, the papers used are Rose Garden by Papermania and the rug is My Mind's Eye paper. I added some Prima blooms, and some Card Craft Card Candi as flower centres. Ashley is coloured with Promarkers, and her hair is coloured with Graph'its and she is fussy cut. Her sunglasses glass are made using Plaid Papier Glass Finish glaze in pink although it doesn't show us very pink. The flower in her hair has a small gold gem centre.

Inside the card.

This is my second example for the Quirky Crafts Challenge reminder, hop over to the blog to see some more gorgeous examples and join in to win some gorgeous flowers or Unky images.

I have entred the following challenges:

Cards Galore - Use a stamp or digi (March)

Craft All Day - anything goes (March)

Craft Mojo - Spring flowers (March)

Papertake Weekly - anything goes optional make your own flowers (Tues)

Passion for Promarkers - Flowers (Tues)

Stamping Sensations - Pretty in Pink (March)

That Craft Place - anything goes (March)

The East Wind - use a digi (March 10)

Happy Valentine's Day

I decided to make a masculine Foxy Valentine's card for Hubby 

. This was the first Unity Stamps fox I coloured in and is the wrong way round I feel. I coloured him with promarkers die cut with Spellbinders and embossed with Mbossabilities tyre tracks and added baker's twine and a key charm,  then blinged the Fox's hearts with red Stickles. I used the paper that I cut the heart from as a mat for economy, and I punched the edge with a Martha Stewart punch.

Paper is by Me and My Big Ideas and was a recent bargain.

I have entered the following challenges:

Crafts Galore - bling and you're in. (Feb)

Crafty Cardmakers - This is a Man's World (Mon)

Craft All Day - Male Cards (Feb 28)

Cute Card Thursday - Clever cutting

Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Love/Hearts (Feb)

Feeling Crafty - die cuts or punches (Feb)

GraphIt's Challenges - Love/Floral (Feb)

Papertake Weekly - With a Heart (Thurs)

Passion for Promarkers - Have a Heart (Thurs)

Polkadoodles - Love Romance (28th Feb)

FWF Unity Stamp Co

Ali Craft Challenge - Valentines (22nd March)

Foxy Valentine, and new stash!

I love this little fox from Unity Stamps and the sentiment that comes with it. I coloured the image with Promarkers, die cut shapes with Spellbinders Nestabilities, and Lacy Heart, and the papers are by Prima and were free with a magazine. I added real lace and a mother of pearl button. The inside of the card is lined with more of the same papers.

I have entered the following challenges:

That Craft Place - Valentines (Sunday)

Craft Mojo - Love (Feb)

Feeling Crafty - Dies or punches (Feb)

Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Love/Hearts (Feb)

One Sweet Challenge - Love (Feb)

Papertake Weekly - With a Heart (Thurs)

Passion for Promarkers - Have a Heart (Thurs)

Polkadoodles - Love is in the Air (21st Feb)

FWF Unity Stamp Co 

Ali Crafts Challenge - Valentines (22nd March)

 Shaun ate this when we were in Torquay, I think it was poached pear with alcoholic jelly of some sort!

 This was my scallop starter, I can't see the two scallops in the photo.

This was mozzeralla and tomato, another starter, I kept forgetting to take photos of the mains, and these were on the phone I was trying out.

 Little Claire haul from the Exeter show, I am a member so got my discount. The stamping mat is amazing, I have used it with wood mounted stamps and I didn't expect it to be good with those but it is.

 Bargain bin bargains, Crafty Individual stamps and Tim Holtz, Tattered Angel metal paint system, soon added up though and the total was a shock!

 More goodies, Inkylicous ink dusters, amazing bargain stamps (Hero Arts, Personal Impressions, Fun Stamps) from a lady giving up her shop, organic creams in the bag for face, and some for Kenny, some Art Bin magnetic sheets, Fresco paints - turned out I duplicated one of those, paper flowers, yarn to make donkeys - it is all grey except for the white - the sparkly looks blue here! Taken on the hotel desk, hence the lovely hairdryer.

 We did go look at the sea.... but returned to the car pretty smartish, it was so windy and cold.

 Shaun had sherry trifle.

 I had sorbet, yummy, I think it was apple, raspberry and white chocolate.

 Shaun had soup for a starter.

Oh - there are the scallops, I don't know what the other photo was then!

Unity Be Inspired challenge

I used the colours for the Unity Be Inspired challenge for this card. This is a very 70's tree I think! Image coloured with Promarkers, die cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities, ribbon is grey satin from Crafty Ribbons, and some grey buttons from stash.

I used the Blossom Stackers stamps for the shapes behind the sentiment, the tree and sentiment are an Itty Bitty set Thought of Who.

I have entered the following challenges:

Unity Be Inspired - see above for details.

ABC challenge - E for embellish.

Feeling Crafty - dies or punches.

My Time To Craft - buttons and bows.

Quirky New Year Wishes - reminder time.

 Phew, the computer is working at the moment so I can blog properly! I am continuing with my journal, which is all about my weight loss journey. I made a page for each of my certificates and each one has a blank page to add my thoughts, pictures and photos. I want to be able to draw inspiration and encouragement from this journal to continue on my journey and reach my target! All of my certificates were pinned to the fridge freezer, I was running out of magnets, and they were getting tatty at the edges, so putting them in a book is the best thing to do. I punched holes with the Bind it All, but haven't bound it yet or made covers, there will be lots more pages yet - unless I do this in two volumes!

This was my first certificate - slimmer of the week! Pretty amazing, because I didn't know if I wanted to take up the offer of 12 weeks paid for by the NHS, and when I did decide (having been a total slimming club sceptic) I wasn't sure if it would work for me with all of my intolerances, allergies and thyroid problems, I decided to journal my thoughts, here in a Squigglefly freebie journal frame and some journalling spots I stamped with Unity Blossom Stackers set. Fat Mouse from Bugaboo and scales from Squigglefly.

The plan is all about healthy eating, it fitted in with my normal diet just fine, a few adjustments, and here I am on a super healthy eating plan, not a diet! I can still eat treats, but I count my chocolate in squares per day now not bars per day! Peaches, Nibbles with carrot and scales from Squigglefly, and chocolate from Bugaboo.

This was my half stone award, that is 7 pounds!

I decided not to bore you with every page, besides I haven't filled them in yet! I hope to add more thoughts, images and photos to each page. Sassy Gal Angel is from Bugaboo.

She accompanies my latest certificate for 2 and a half stones weight loss, that is 35 pounds! I always worked in kilos before this, but have to think in Imperial again! I could have had kilos if I had known and said at the beginning, but then I would be different to everyone else - and how would they work out the certificates?

This page is the start of my ongoing wishes for 2014, I want to lose the same again - I know now that I can do it! Then I will be able to play with my little grandson as he gets older, and do everything else I want to (well not everything, that would take a miracle - but more than if I don't do this), and improve my health too! I used Girlz get your craft on, and beach boy brat from Bugaboo, and there is room for more.

I only wish they had sent me years before this, and maybe I wouldn't have so many health problems, hindsight is a wonderful thing! 

I have seen very large people sitting in wheelchairs in the hospital, waiting for transport, minus limbs, not able to walk, looking awful, on oxygen and I don't want to end up like that if I can help it!

Anyway on that morbid note, don't forget to hop over to Quirky Crafts and join in, you might want a new car, new baby, new house, holiday - show us what you want during this year in any project you like!