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)

Quirky Secret Garden reminder part 1

The gorgeous Hipster Goddess is an image by Unky, one of the two sponsors of the Quirky Crafts Challenge that ends on Saturday. The other sponsor is Samaflora.
This image reminds me of me as a teenager, well the me I imagined I was, I had the long hair, and I even had the hot pants (which is what we called the fashionable short shorts) although mine were embarrasingly knitted by my Mum in red wool, which I think was the result of unpicking a knitted red suit I was forced to wear to church on Sundays (I also had a green knitted suit). Anyway I wore my knitted hot pants with a wide black belt, we didn't wear leggings or coloured tights under our hot pants, and I never realised I was far too fat to get away with this fashion! Nobody every told me. I was active, walking miles, disco dancing, horse riding, helping in the stables - but I did love school dinner puddings and finished up everyone's for them! I wasn't this thin until I was 18, after starving in an attic of a farmhouse where I had to live when I gave up my A levels in favour of a career with horses, which went horribly wrong (a long story for another day maybe), and the thin me didn't last for more than a couple of years. Maybe I will get back there in a year or so.
I am currently reading Dawn French's book, Dear Fatty, which is very appropriate for this image and got me thinking about it, as we have so much in common. I think I would have loved to be Dawn's school friend!
The card - I coloured the image with Promarkers, and used Graph'its for the hair. I die cut the image and layers with Spellbinders Card Creator dies 5"x7" which I bought this week. In the mid 70's when I married and had my first house we had bright orange wallpaper in the hall with a huge flower pattern of sunflowers, and in the bedroom we had purple wallpaper with a large pattern - the Victorian ghosts must have hated us!
Hippies, in my mind the song that includes the lyrics "If you're going to San-Franscisco, be sure to wear a flower in your hair". I added some Prima flowers and gems, with one in her hair of course, and some polka dot purple chiffon ribbon from Crafty Ribbons. I created the sentiment using Serif PagePlus.

Inside the card, you can see the physcadelic paper I found, it is by Papermania and years old, probably from 2004 but perfect for the theme.

I have entered the following challenges:

Cards Galore - Use a stamp or digi (March)

Crafty Ribbons challenge blog - anything goes with ribbon (Thurs)

Cute Card Thursdays - what a gem (Thurs)

Digi Sketch challenge - sketch optional (Mon)

Feeling Crafty - Use a digi and bling (March)

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

Passion for Promarkers - Flowers (Tues)

That Craft Place - anything goes (March)

The East Wind - Use a digi (March 10) 

Craft All Day - anything goes (March)

Fussy and Fancy - Birthdays (Mar 20)

Quirky Secret Garden

Monica chose a lovely challenge this time, it is called Secret Garden and must feature flowers. 

We have two sponsors, Samaflora who is giving some hand made flowers to two lucky winners, and Unky who is our brand new sponsor and provided the gorgeous images we have used - you really need to go see the rest on the Quirky Blog too!

For my first card I used Aurora Cherry Blossom, I coloured her with Promarkers and die cut a frame with Spellbinders. I put some Chatterbox ribbon top and bottom of the image and the pearlescent panel the frame is mounted on has some very pretty chiffon ribbon printed with daisies from Crafty Ribbons. 

I die cut the cherry blossoms with Britannia dies, and punched the centres with a Nellie Snellen punch, and added green to the ends, and Stickles to the middles. I haven't decided if I am going to add a sentiment yet. The frame is popped up and with the flowers this is very 3d.

Cherry blossoms make me happy, they are all about new beginnings and Spring. Our poor cherry blossom tree really suffered in the drought last summer, it lost all of it's leaves so early and we are hoping for signs that it has survived and will blossom this Spring.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Craft Mojo - Spring flowers (March)

ABC - G is for Girls (Sat)

Allsorts Challenge - Spring is coming (Sat)

Passion for Promakers - Make it digital (Tues)

The Technique Twist - Faux frames (Sat 15th) (Winner)

The East Wind Challenge Blog - Use a digi (13th March)

My second card features Vintage Dolly Girl Mon Amour Sitting in the Flower Garden, and I set her in her secret garden behind a green fence and gates die cut with Spellbinders DLites, and sitting on some HOTP paper representing a picnic blanket. I added some Prima blooms, and a die cut sentiment using a die free with a magazine. The image is coloured with Promarkers (I haven't mastered clothes yet, the hair is getting better) and die cut with Spellbinders.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Feeling Crafty - Use a digi and bling (March)

I Love Promarkers - Use die cuts but no punches (Wed)

That Craft Place - Anything goes (Sun)

Stamping for the weekend - Sparkle and Shine (Fri 14th and I really hope it wasn't me that posted too many entries last time, my memory is awful)

Quirky layer it up and pile it on, 3d style!

I was late with my card, I have been having so many computer problems and this weekend my Son, Daughter in law and baby grandson came to stay, so babysitting was in order! The great thing was that my son was able to spend Friday evening and some of Saturday working on fixing my ailing computer - which still has problems. The bad news was that when I finished my card and took the photo I realised I didn't have any of the programs I needed to upload and trim it etc! So I spent time looking for the software I need to reload (oh this could take me some time), then thought of the phone! So the photo is courtesy of the phone so not as good as it could be, and I will some better photos on when I can.

Lyn set the challenge as her favourite, Lyn loves to use lots of layers and is very good at it! So we are to use layers and 3d as much as possible. The sponsor providing the images is Robyn's Fetish, and Digital Delights are giving one of the prizes. 

This image is called Ms Lamb Chop, and I didn't immediately think baby card (though it crossed my mind), once I had coloured the flowers and added layers of HOTP papers and a gorgeous grosgrain spotty ribbon from Crafty Ribbons the card just yelled out Baby Girl! I coloured the image with Promarkers, and cut out several layers of the lamb to decoupage it (I will take a better photo to show this soon) added some Stickles glue to the flowers (and having decided to do this today as I was trying to finish the card a few accidents were inevitable, so I had to reapply it a few times and it is very much wet in the photo), and die cut with Spellbinders dies. The sentiment is a Molly Blooms clear stamp that came with the Molly Blooms magazine and is stamped with Brilliance ink.

I need to buy another part for the computer, load the software back on and I know I have loads of people to visit from last Wednesday's WOYWW, and a few more, I just might get there before the next one!

I have entered the following challenges:

Pink Gem of a challenge - spots and stripes (my squares are stripey) (Sun)

ABC Challenges - F is for Flowers (Sat)

Crafts Galore (2nd entry) - if you bling you are in (Feb)

Cute Card Thurdays - clever cutting

Stamping for the Weekend - Flower Power (Feb fortnight)

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!

WOYWW #245

It's Wednesday and time to go snooping round desks at The Stamping Ground.

My computer is semi working now, it is so much easier than the tablet, which one day would let me upload photos to blogger then minutes later or the next few days it wouldn't play at all! So I got there very late last week and only because Julia added me and I haven't gone round even the few people who stopped by.

I think my desk is looking much tidier now, There is still a pile of stamps on cling foam on the left side under the digi images, I need to split sheets somehow to keep brands together and I need to clear a shelf to hold more folders (not worked out where the stuff on the shelf is going yet), but I was pleased I did so much and probably because I had no computer to distract me!
In the middle is a Valentine's card I was working on, I will post the finished card next. Then there is the paper pad I used and a Really Useful Box that is full of images coloured and die cut ready to go and other die cut bits.
At the back, on the far right the rotary trimmer and standing on that is a stamp that arrived today, and a tub of cards that might go for charity or to the shop, well some of each maybe. I had a pile of aperture card blanks, I suppose they are for tea bag or similar, but I finally saw an idea - using up scraps of ribbon!
Next to them the grey basket is full of cards finished and awaiting something like an insert or just bag top. In the green basket is paint, then the pink basket is full of adhesives, and then there is the box Shaun gave me, now full of Distress refill inks, on top of that is a small crate full of Fresco paints.
The pink net bin is full of foam bits for inking, and now some ink dusters I bought at the Exeter show, we went there then stayed in Torquay for a couple of nights where we were expecting really bad weather, I think they are getting it now. The floods and damage is so awful, those poor people, and the rain isn't stopping yet!
I was going to show you what I bought at the Exeter show but I can't find the photos I took now, will look at the tablet later. (Found them, I took them on a phone I was trying out but they were still in the cloud, see next post).

These two were ill for a few days, they look a bit sorry for themselves here. They kept being sick.

This is a kitty hat I made using a pattern from Repeat Crafter Me, it was the puppy hat but the little girl this is for is cat mad so I made up some ears, hope she likes it.

Bedroom makeover complete, this is the bedroom with the black out roller blind up and I found the perfect colour valanced sheet (after buying two valances in error which I washed so can't take back). I searched online and couldn't find teal, but in a shop in town I found it, and it fits better than the old ones. I need to go get another now.

When you look out of the window and see this - you have to grab the camera!

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!

The Craft Barn Quotes and Lyrics challenge

The Craft Barn challenge for 2014 is Quotes and Lyrics (Q&L), and I did manage to do my first page well within the timescales, but couldn't load the photo into blogger with the tablet (some days it will, some it won't and even when it did I couldn't load it into the post I created - which has now mysteriously vanished anyway). I will add that first page later, it isn't downloaded onto this sick computer yet, I have it on the tablet too....

The challenge is set every two weeks, and we are given two words, this time it is Silence and Dazzle, and you can use one or both words if they feature in a quote or lyric. I found a few lyrics but this quote from an online paper really appealed to me.

"Vänskä’s balance of the ensemble was disclosing instrumental colours that are usually washed over by the razzle-dazzle of the piano.... from the examiner.com

I didn't know what I was going to do for this challenge, a journal, a box of cards perhaps for inspiration you can dip into randomly? Then I saw this kraft notebook and decided to use that. I made the mistake of getting paint on the binding wires during my first page and now it is difficult to turn pages and I can't seem to get it off! I used Crafty Individual stamps, some images are heat embossed. I have adhered pages together to make pockets so I can store the remaining quotes and lyrics I gathered, not sure how well this is going to work - I might have to rebind the pages with a bigger non paint covered wire or come up with another solution.

Anyway due to the internet going down on me just as I was going to blog this last night, or it could be the sickly computer playing me up, I missed the deadline! So that is two chances the computer has spoiled for me!

Here is my first page, I got it onto Facebook a week before the deadline but couldn't get it onto blogger!

Penny black stamp set, and the quote is A Smile is Just a Frown Turned Upside Down from Undisputed Truth - Smiling Faces Sometimes by The Temptations.

Quirky new year wishes or resolutions

 It is so difficult managing without my computer, sometimes the tablet will let me add photos and other days it won't play at all! Today it is working. The challenge set by Doris is about wishes for this year, and I decided to make a journal to record my weight loss journey so far and to encourage me to reach my target. The Page above is the second page but I won't attempt to move it, or I might lose it.
We have two sponsors at Quirky Crafts this time, and I apologise to them for mixing images, I need to do it. This Page features ice cream sundaes and scales (called "the moment of truth") from Squigglefly, and a fat cheese mouse from Bugaboo.

Page 1 features a great sentiment and freebie frame from Squigglefly with chocolate bars from Bugaboo.  At the beginning of 2013 things were bad for me, already suffering from a number of health issues my cholesterol went too high, I ate healthy food but I was addicted to chocolate, ate too much cheese and adored ice cream. I was much too heavy, and got referred to Slimming World.  I have lots more to show you next week, maybe my computer will be back and I can add photos to the journal, that and some thoughts. 

I don't know if I will be able to add links, but you can find them in the sidebar and hop over to Quirky Crafts to see some more great projects and join in!