Max's Craft Creations

FESTIVE FUN FOR EVERYONE

2011-12-27T01:22:00.000Z

May Your Hearts and Homes Be Filled

With Love and Laughter For Christmas and Throughout 2012

Luv'n'Stuff

Bah Humbug! Challenge 45

2011-11-18T09:13:00.001Z

For our challenge at Bah! Humbug! this week, we're looking for you to share some gift wrapping ideas, and we'd like to see how creative you can be making your presents look extra specially pretty.
I decided to keep things cheap'n'cheerful by recycling a card sent to us last year to make a gift box. It's a really simple idea that works with virtually any card size but more importantly in these cash-strapped times ... it's "cheap as chips!"

Firstly remove the front portion of the card with the image you want to use and then cut a matching piece of plain card for the base, which you need to trim so it's slightly smaller all round ... just trim a smigeon so it will fit snugly together when assembled.

Score a line on all four sides of both card pieces, making sure your score line is the same distance from each edge, and then trim the corners to make tabs.

Glue the four corner tabs in place, allow to dry and VOILA ... you have a cheap yet pretty little gift box which has cost nothing!
This is a great way of using up all those beautiful images on cards that you've received but can't bear to throw away ... OH YES! I know you have them too!
Recycling at it's best.
Our Guest Designer Colleen and Humbugger Ann have their own cool projects to show you so hop over to Humbug Hall for a quick peek before you get to work on your own ideas.

Condensing

2011-10-12T00:59:00.000+01:00

I suppose I could, (or possibly even should), apologise yet again for my recent lack of blogging prowess ... for not visiting all the beautiful blogs on my favourites list ... for not being able to admire and drool over the eye candy on show ... for not leaving as many comments as I wanted to ... BUT to be honest, the simple fact is that I just haven't got the same time to devote to blogging as I used to and that's just how it is!
So rather than apologising for circumstances beyond my control ... for being too busy and my general lack of spare time, (which would be a waste of both my limited time and yours), I shall just condense my recent Bah! Humbug! DT examples into one single post, hope that someone will pop by to read what I've hurriedly written and leave it at that. Take a deep breath and run with me.
READY? LET'S GO!
Challenge 38 asked for a familiar favourite of crafters worldwide, in the form of Rudolph/Reindeer. I opted for a simple gatefold card decorated with a lovely paper from my stash, (which I think was a Dovecraft pack from a couple of years ago), and tied with a length of silver ribbon.

Challenge 39 involved incorporating Nativity into our projects and surprisingly, the DT came up with similar ideas, but the end results were all completely different. Take a look HERE and you'll see what I mean.
I stamped a silhouette image and mounted it onto a larger panel of black card, tied a wide satin ribbon and diamante clasp on the right and then adhered the whole thing to a white DL card blank.

Challenge 40 which is our current challenge, has been extremely popular, with oodles of entries sprinkling Christmas sparkle everywhere after we asked for Glitz and Glitter ... although I suspect the super prize on offer spurred many into joining in. Whatever the reason for the extra numbers this week, my DT example is beginning to look rather insipid by comparison to some of the fabulous creations I've seen so far.

But despite this, I stand by my decision to use pink teamed with black and silver on the basis that it has a fairly modern look, coupled with plenty of sparkle which is almost considered essential for Christmas by most of us crafty critters.

Hmmmmm ... looking back there's not a lot of condensing happening is there lol? ... but it's time for me to cut'n'run as there's the small matter of work to get up for tomorrow morning and sleeping in is NOT an option!
Nighty-night ... sleep tight ... and enjoy the rest of your week, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

PS: Thanks for visiting ... and please don't worry or feel guilty if you haven't got time to leave a message ... I absolutely understand. xxx

Bah Humbug! Challenge 37

2011-09-18T16:07:00.000+01:00

Don't know why I always seem to be chasing my tail these days, but here at last, is my DT offering for our Bah! Humbug! Challenge 37 - Flourishes and Swirls.

Although it's another simple design using panels of Kanban mirrored foiled card adhered to a black tri-fold card blank, with an embossed panel matted onto black overlapping the fold, the finished result looks kind've good ... in fact I would even go so far as to say they're verging on elegant.

Last year I remember using this same design idea for my Mother-in-Law's personalised Xmas cards, making a batch of gold designs and a batch of silver and they proved to be quite popular, so I may be making some for myself to send this year.

Gold Collection 2010

Silver Collection 2010

Our Guest Designer Barb has Flourishes and Swirls galore on her project this week, so I suggest you take a peek before heading off to make your own fantastic flourishy creation for our challenge HERE.
Go on now - run along and see for yourself if you don't believe me and enjoy the remainder of your weekend ... wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Sweet Dreams David xxx

2011-09-16T09:13:00.001+01:00

Please spare a kind thought today for the parents, family and friends of
David Christie
whose funeral we are attending this morning.
He was far too young to be taken at only 21 but unfortunately he lost his battle with cancer last Saturday.
Our sincere condolences go out to all who knew him and loved him.
R.I.P. David

xxxx

9/11 - We Will Never Forget

2011-09-11T05:01:00.000+01:00

Thinking of all those who have suffered
and remembering the heroes of that terrible event.

Bah! Humbug Challenge 36

2011-09-10T16:27:00.000+01:00

Whoops ... forgot to take this post out of draft - silly me!
Our challenge at Humbug Hall this week is to use Paper Weaving in our projects, so armed with 2 complimentary sheets of paper from Dovecraft Fancy Pants pack, I cut narrow strips and wove them together.
Taking a DL card blank and one of the Shapeabilities Nested Pine Trees, I ran them through the Cuttlebug to create an aperture and then placed some of my paper weaving behind it.

The parcel above the peel off greeting was another section of the woven paper, placed onto the card front with double sided tape with a pretty matching ribbon bow glued on top.

That left a touch too much white space for my liking, so using up the last remnants of woven paper, I cut the ends at an angle and filled the gap. JOB DONE and another card for the Christmas box.
Hop over to Humbug Hall to take a gander at the lovely card our Guest Designer Barb created for this challenge where she mastered a new technique beautifully.

Enjoy your weekend ... wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 35

2011-09-02T07:30:00.002+01:00

This time last week my daughter was in Dublin competing as part of the U.19's Scotland Squad in her first Junior Ten Pin Bowling Triple Crown. I'm delighted to say that the team did themselves proud, returning home to Scotland with 35 medals in all! WHOO HOO!

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE.

Naomi is now the proud owner of a silver and a bronze medal - not bad "at all ... at all!" ... and is looking forward to Triple Crown 2012 when Wales will be the host nation and she will hopefully be there with her teammates if selected to join the squad again of course. Thank you for all the kind messages of support and positive thoughts which helped tremendously I'm sure.
In the meantime ... back to reality and Bah! Humbug! Challenges. This week we have a brand new Guest Designer in the spotlight at Humbug Hall who has created a beautiful card to tickle your arty-farty tastebuds for our Christmas Sentiment/ Text Challenge. My offering is somewhat less detailed ... actually it's embarrassingly so ... but hopefully will provide a teeny touch of inspiration for those who're short of time and 'crafting on the run' as I always seem to be these days.
It needs no explanation as there's nothing complicated about sticking stickers onto a blank card which is basically all I did.

It doesn't even qualify as a 'Bish ... Bash ... Bosh!' effort ... but if I get a chance over the weekend then I may make something a little more interesting ... maybe using stamps, ink and paper.   Oooooo'errrrr missus! That'll be exciting ... well for me anyway LOL!
If you skip over to Humbug Hall then you can check out the other DT ideas and also get a wee peek at this week's crafty prize.
WHOA! ... steady ... there's no need to push lol!   See you there xxx

Good Luck Scottish Juniors

2011-08-26T07:05:00.032+01:00

By the time you read this, my daughter Naomi and I will be in Dublin - hopefully having an absolute blast! She was selected to compete at the Triple Crown being held there, as a member of U.19 Ten Pin Bowling Scotland Squad and to say we are proud of her doesn't even touch on how chuffed we feel. Whoop Whoop! She's always wanted to play for her country and it just shows that with hard work and commitment, dreams really do come true.
So just before you tootle off to play, please take a minute over the weekend to concentrate some of your positive energy to wish her and the whole
Scottish Junior Ten Pin Bowling Squad good luck this weekend.
Thanksky Versky Muchsky
Now just because I'm not here doesn't mean you have permission to slack off, so go check out this week's Bah! Humbug! Challenge to see for yourself the super DT inspiration from my fellow Humbugger Ann and our Guest Designers, Donna and Tracy who will sadly be leaving us this week. Can't believe their month is up already!
Luv'n'Stuff
Max
xxx

Congratulations Naomi

2011-08-05T06:23:00.002+01:00

I know it's Friday ...
... and I KNOW that means I should be showing my Bah! Humbug! Challenge card, especially as I forgot to do so last week - WHOOPSY
BUT sorry you'll have to wait 'cos I have to share some good ...
NAY ...
GREAT ...
NAH ...
FANTASTIC NEWS!

Naomi has passed all of her 8 Standard Grades - WHOOHOO!

Well done sweetheart ... we are so very proud of you xxx
All of your hard work paid off.

Our Naomi - Sweet 16

2011-08-03T02:14:00.001+01:00

The Birthday Girl

... enjoying a laugh

Family Celebration Meal

The Wok'n'Spice - Glenrothes

(31st July)

The Birthday Treat - Edinburgh 23rd July

There was birthday cake but no photo 'cos
the greedy gannets ate it

before we could get the camera out.

Early Birthday Cake No.2

The Official Birthday Cake - 2nd August created by Susan Clunie - The Beautiful Cake Company

An amazing 2 tier chocolatey-licious creation.

Now for the cards ....

Close up of Our Card

More ...

Whoops'a'Daisy

2011-07-25T01:55:00.001+01:00

Have had a busy weekend and didn't realise that Mr. Blogger hadn't shown my latest Bah! Humbug! card ... maybe he thought it just wasn't worth the effort, but I'm going to defy him and show you anyway lol!
The theme this week is 'Beads' and to be honest they're not something I use often, if at all, so this was a tricky week for me ... I wasn't even sure I had any of the pesky little blighters in my stash. However, as I've discovered many times in the past, if you look long enough and hard enough then eventually you will find and I was lucky to come across these silver stars complete with beads in a little craft box tucked away at the back of a shelf. I think they were actually salvaged from a Christmas Cracker many moons ago ... a perfect example of why you should NEVER throw anything away!

Then it was a simple case of glueing them in a curve onto a white linen card, adding a peel off greeting and a stamped silhouette reindeer decorated with sparkly gems and trimmed with deckle-edged scissors.

Another easy peasy card which came together really quickly once I eventually had all the bits'n'pieces together ... handy when you're in 'chasing your tail' mode!
Fellow Humbugger Ann and our Guest Designers Abi and Kathy K have been much more inventive than I have, so take a look and then tootle off to do your own thing with beads. Have fun!

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 28

2011-07-15T09:56:00.000+01:00

Life is still running at breakneck speed but maybe if I was a lot more organised and paced myself better, things would be easier. Which meant that once again I found myself with too little time to create anything "Fancy-Schmancy" for Bah! Humbug! Shapes Challenge and had to settle for "Easy-Peasy".
Taking a red square card blank I cut a triangle shape from each of the four sides thereby making an "X" shape.

Using this as a template, I traced around it onto some patterned paper from the fabulous g.c.d. studios paper stack Joyful Peace and then trimmed slightly inside the lines with deckle-edged scissors ... added a red velvet bow and a greeting and 'Bob's yer Uncle!' ... or maybe yer Aunty - you never can tell these days lol!

If more inspiration is needed before you have a go then check out the DT gallery over at Humbug Hall where Ann, Abi and Kathy K. are sharing some great ideas for shaped cards. If you have a good idea of your own then feel free to join in, we'd love to see it.
Righty-O ... gotta' dash to the hairdresser so will see you all later xxx

Bah Humbug! Challenge 27

2011-07-08T06:10:00.002+01:00

Sometimes I just wish the world would slow down a wee bit ... or at least wait for me to catch up lol! It's been another busy week with lots happening and I thought that as the schools are on holiday there would be a little more R+R time ... but I was mistaken. It seems Time and Bah! Humbug! wait for no one so there was nothing else for it but to knuckle down and get busy with our latest challenge and this week we're creating with 'critters' ... specifically Mice.

I started with a 6" x 6" card blank and decorated it with a small panel of the most gorgeous double-sided paper from g.c.d studios paper stack Joyful Peace ... which was very difficult to cut into let me tell you! It's just too fabulous for words but fortunately there are 4 sheets of 12 different designs so I still have plenty left to stroke lol! Some red funky fibres add some decoration and make a nice change from ribbon.

I stamped the cute mouse holding a heart twice and coloured with Promarkers, before adding a foil snowflake and some gold stickles to the hearts. The sentiment was then stamped and matted onto gold mirri card before attaching with foam pads between these two happy chappies.
All the products used here were purchases made from Kitty Krafts where Louise and Ross welcomed me with open arms, as always. They then plied me with coffee and the most amazing Coffee Tower cream cake before letting me loose on their stock - which is extensive in anyone's crafty eyes. Whilst I don't manage to visit them as often as I'd like ... I ALWAYS make sure it's worth making the 60'ish mile round trip ... and this week's visit was no exception so their stock is now minus several gorgeous items - because I have them lol!
Humbugger Ann and our Guest Designers Abi and Kathy K. have been busy wee critters over at Humbug Hall and have some super-dooper cute cards to show you so please do yourself a favour and go for a peek ... then if you have some wee meeces who'd like to come out and play with ours, why not join in with our challenge?
Am off to try to catch up with my tail ... which I've been chasing all week ... so see you all soon.

Bah Humbug! Challenge 26

2011-07-01T07:30:00.024+01:00

Blimey Oh Riley! Can it possibly be 1st July already? Apparently so ... and that means that the school holidays will officially start at lunchtime today HOORAY! It'll be nice to relax the routine for a few weeks ... we just need to hope for some sunshine so we can actually ENJOY lazy Summer days, rather than just dreaming of them lol!
Over at Bah! Humbug! though, there are no thoughts of sunshine as we're still concentrating on building up a decent stock of Christmas cards and for our challenge this week, we'd like to see how creative you can be with Acetate. Now I admit that I'm not particularly confident when using this product so to keep out of trouble I opted to do an easy peasy lemon squeezy card using the simplest of ideas ... do you likee?

Using an A5 piece of patterned card folded in half as a base card, I positioned a fancy-pantsy adhesive sticker on the front ... isn't it gorgeous? ... and then simply folded an identical sized piece of acetate to create a jacket cover over the top.

This is held in place with narrow gold ribbon tied in a bow and a small peel off greeting was added to the bottom corner.
TA DA! Job done in 5 minutes!
My fellow Humbugger Ann and our brand new July Guest Designers, Abi and Kathy K, have put a lot more effort into their projects and I recommend that you take a look ... and then if you want to play along this week, there's a super wee prize up for grabs for one lucky random entry as it's the 1st challenge of the month. Feel free to be as creative as you like ... or you can play safe like me ... tee hee.
Enjoy your Summer ... wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Ciao for now! xxx

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 25

2011-06-24T17:20:00.001+01:00

Apologies for my recent absence but unfortunately I suffered a rather nasty bout of "Barf Humbug" ... more commonly known as Gastroenteritis ... and blogging was the last thing I thought about. Am feeling much better now though and was able to join Ann, Wendy and Christine for this week's Bah! Humbug! Penguin Challenge.

This cute trio was stamped with black ink and embossed before colouring with Promarkers and matting onto burgundy card. I then hand embossed some random snowflakes and used the cuttlebug to emboss the sentiment before colouring it with vivid green Promarker.
Green stripey paper and a panel of green mirri card decorated with knotted ribbon provide a colourful backdrop with some Diamond Stickles adding some sparkle to the image.

You really must check out Bah! Humbug! to see for yourself the super offerings by my fellow Humbugger Ann and our Guest Designers, Wendy and Christine who will sadly be leaving us this week.

Bah! Humbug! 23 ... "Whateva!"

2011-06-10T14:07:00.001+01:00

Anyone with a teenager in the family will be all too familiar with THAT word ... and also the many and varied meanings it has depending on the tone used to deliver it!

Our Bah! Humbug! Challenge this week is to make a card For A Teenager which turned out to be not as easy as first thought.
Looking through my stash I discovered plenty of lovely supplies but they were either too cutsie or too traditional. Time was running away in what was already a busy week, so at the last minute I opted for something cool ... or rather KOOL!

The snowman and penguin image was hiding in my PSP (Paint Shop Pro) folders and I added the text before printing it off and using some Stickles for a touch of sparkle. The gorgeous self-adhesive sparkle paper was matted onto silver mirri and the beauty of this stuff is that it is super smooth so doesn't shed glitter everywhere. A strip of blue tartan ribbon tied in a knot across a panel of dotty mirri card helps to decorate the large open space. I toyed with the idea of adding some silver snowflakes and then immediately discounted it as being too fussy. So that's really all there was to it and I'm left wondering why on earth something so easy took me so long to make lol!
Over at Humbug Hall there are other great ideas to see from Ann, Wendy and Christine. I'm confident that when you've seen them you'll realise that making something suitable for a KOOL DUDE doesn't have to be difficult.

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 22

2011-06-03T07:48:00.001+01:00

It's 'Flaming June' and the sun is shining on this beautiful Friday morning. Over at Bah! Humbug! Challenges it's always Christmas and we have another terrific theme this week - Surprise! Surprise!!

For my DT submission I decided to attempt an Easel Card with Drawer to create a card and gift in one fell swoop! I found video instructions HERE and set to work with gusto ... well ... I set to work at least lol!
I made up the easel card using Smirk Christmas papers, which were already glittered and good old reliable silver mirri card for matting.

The drawer was super easy to make and I even wrapped pretty purple ribbon around it before securing with a brad. This not only looks nice but has the added advantage of holding it together if you're not too confident that your glue will stick ... tee hee.

Then, I got into a bit of a guddle making the wraparound base. UH OH! Due to 'user error' rather than inadequate instructions, I hasten to add, as everyone knows that concentration is not my strong point. Anyway, I managed to make it all fit eventually and have convinced myself that no one will notice the teeth marks unless they look closely. *snigger*
So there you are ... FINISHED! JOB DONE!

You'll be pleased to hear that we have 2 surprise new Guest Designers staying with us at Humbug Hall but I can't tell you who they are ... it's a SURPRISE! Hahahahaha! They have created fantastic projects to show off for this week's challenge so I suggest you hotfoot it over there PDQ.
There's also a fabby-licious Prize up for grabs for one lucky randomly selected entry, to mark the 1st challenge of a new month and you definitely wouldn't want to miss out, so grab your bits'n'bobs and head over for a looksee before joining in the fun. G'aaaaannnnn ... You know you want to!

Bah Humbug Challenge 21

2011-05-27T12:04:00.001+01:00

Seems like Mr. Blogger has had another 'hissy fit' and eaten my scheduled post but Naomi and I are going to Dundee shortly, so this will have to be a quick visit.
Our theme this week at Humbug Hall is "Bells" and I opted to make a simple card using elements from a Pepper and Friends Christmas kit which was originally a QVC item, but I picked it up for a 'steal' at Every Craft's A Pound.

The base card was already preprinted so all I had to do was cut the cute reindeer from one of the sweet papers and matt it onto red foil card before adding Stickles ... (which is still wet - whoops) ... for a bit of sparkle.
The gold bow embellishment has 2 teeny wee bells which actually jingle ... so cool! Some Anita's text ribbon across a narrow strip of gold mirri card finish it off nicely.
Our Guest Designers, Karen and Clare are almost finished their time with us at Humbug Hall and this is their final DT challenge, so please pop over and check out their lovely cards before they sign out.
May not be around too much this weekend ... busy ... busy ... busy ... but hope you all enjoy yours, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.
Ciao for now xxx

Strong Winds and Sparkles

2011-05-23T17:19:00.002+01:00

The Met Office issued a weather warning of exceptionally high winds for today across Central and Southern Scotland. Oh My Giddy Aunt! - they aren't wrong and those nasty winds are accompanied by lashing rain too! Sensible people are staying home where it is safe and warm. Others who fall into the category of not so sensible and have appointments to make ... YEP! Yours Truly ... are wrapping up and venturing out, hoping they will make it back in one piece.
Just in case the unthinkable should happen, I'd like to show a card made for my sister whose birthday was earlier this month.
The pretty glittered peacock feather was another result from when Humbugger Ann was visiting in March and I sneaked a 'steal' of her lovely metal stencil and embossing paste.
With the stencil carefully removed, 3 complimentary colours of fine glitter were sprinkled seperately ... one side, then the other and finally the middle ... to create a graduated look.

Ooooooohhhhh ... sparkly-licious!
This was then trimmed before double-matting onto mega-shiny turquoise and purple foil card. A DL card blank was decorated with alternating panels of blue sparkly card and purple foil card, which had been Cuttlebug embossed with Swiss Dots.

A little bow, birthday sentiment and adhesive gems are all the finishing touches this glittery card needed.
Think it may qualify for a few challenges and there's only one way to find out so here goes nothing.
Creative Inspirations - Bling
Cupcake Inspirations - Photo Inspiration
(my colours maybe a bit too bold for this one)
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Sparkle and Shine

Bah! Humbug! #20

2011-05-20T08:00:00.002+01:00

Another Friday ... another Bah! Humbug! Challenge and this time we're raising the bar a little and asking for Kinetic creations. Sounds impressive I know, but the dictionary definition of kinetic is quite simply " ... relating to or resulting from motion" so all we want is some kind of movement. Fortunately, there are plenty of wonderful ways to get action into your cards and a gazzillion online tutorials which show us how ... so there's no excuse not to join in!
I opted to make a Penny Spinner card using only an A4 sheet of mega-shiny card for decoration, black cardstock for the base, a few adhesive gems and some silver peel offs ... you wanna' see?

Okay here you go ... TA DAH!

So NOW you want to know what it does ... right?
Watch carefully ...

Flower on the right.

Flower on the left

Isn't it cool?
I have a pirouetting poinsettia which spins from side to side ... and you wouldn't believe how easy it was to make. There is a link to the tutorial over at Bah! Humbug! along with other fabulous ideas for Kinetic Cards from Ann, Karen and Clare, so shake your booty over there and check them all out.

Bah! Humbug! #19

2011-05-14T11:00:00.000+01:00

Well naughty Mr. Blogger managed to send everyone into a tail spin over the last couple of days when he decided to have a major hissy fit and lock us all out of blogland! Kind've makes you wonder what we did with our lives before blogging came along because there were plenty of people who were totally lost for the last 2 days without it lol?
Hopefully he has been sorted out now and we'll have no more silly nonsense ... but just in case ... I'd better show my latest challenge offering for Bah! Humbug! pretty darn quick.

This week we're looking for cards and projects following the theme of Snowflakes and the focal image on my card was something I had a bash at when my Humbugger Buddy Ann came to stay and kindly introduced me to the delights of using embossing paste with brass stencils and then colouring by blending with inks. What inky fun we had that day!
I trimmed the panel and matted it onto pale blue glitter card, before placing it, off centre, on top of a panel of Debbie Moore text foil paper which was also matted, firstly onto black and then onto more of the blue glitter card.

Ice blue sparkly ribbon is knotted and trimmed to add a little interest. The fancy peel off snowflakes are already decorated with tiny clear gemstones and provide a touch more sparkle ... just in case it was needed.
Check out what Ann and our Guest Designers have been up to at Humbug Hall and then join in with our challenge to show us what fabulous ideas you can come up with using snowflakes.
Reckon it's almost time for la-la-land ... but before I go let me show you the beautiful azalea bush that is blooming beside the garage.

Stunning ... or what?

After the rain ...

A beautiful sight to see every morning ... but such a shame that the flowers are so shortlived and will only last a couple of weeks.
Enjoy your weekend ... wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Bah! Humbug! #18

2011-05-06T09:48:00.000+01:00

The challenge theme at Bah! Humbug! is 'Going Green' and this can be interpreted to mean either 'Recycling' or alternatively, it's most literal sense, where the colour Green is used. If you prefer you can even do both!
Whatever you decide, we are really looking forward to seeing some super projects again this week ... talking of which, you should check out what the new Guest Designers and Humbugger Ann have been up to!
Hang on ... HANG ON! Before you disappear let me give you a quick rundown of how my card came to be.

The base card is an A4 sheet of foiled cardstock from Kanban - where else? - folded in half ... nothing complicated about that. The cute puppies were salvaged from a card received last Christmas which I couldn't bear to throw out and the gorgeous, scrumptious, fabby-licious ribbon was 'reclaimed' from a Christmas parcel and was originally intended for last week's 'Pleats and Ruffles' challenge ... but ... ahem ... never quite got there. Actually 'reclaimed' is a polite way of saying 'snatched back' ... *blush*. I was so quick that the ribbon had hardly been unwrapped before it was back in my sticky little paws whilst the poor unsuspecting recipient was still faffing with the sellotape lol!
Just couldn't help myself!

Anyway ... that's it! Told you I'd be quick!
A good example of a Bish ... Bash ... Bosh kinda' card. If you'd like to see something more elaborate then I suggest you head over to Humbug Hall where there's been some super recycling happening and what's more there's a prize up for grabs again this week!
Are we good to you or what?

Apologies

2011-04-29T03:31:00.001+01:00

Unfortunately, despite all my best efforts to juggle the calender over the last few weeks, I was forced to admit defeat ... and reluctantly had to send our apologies to Will and Kate explaining that we're unable to attend their wedding today.
Obviously, they're absolutely gutted but understand that Naomi's ten pin bowling tournament in Inverness this weekend had to take priority.   With the best will in the world, we simply couldn't be in two places, at opposite ends of the country, at the same time. I just HATE disappointing people - don't you? LOL!
Talking of disappointing!
Well ... that just about sums up my efforts (or lack of!) for this week's Bah! Humbug! Challenge as I haven't finished my DT example. Shocking I know!
Obviously my head's been somewhere it probably shouldn't have been ... and the week just ran away, leaving me behind! So sincere apologies to Ann, Kelly and Veronica who have thankfully been far more concientious and produced some lovely projects for our Pleats and Ruffles Challenge.   Why don't you pop over to take a peek? ... and while you're there check out the surprise we have on offer to celebrate the Royal Wedding!
*Really wish we could've been there but ... SIGH.* Hopefully the hat will come in handy for another occasion ... maybe Lizzies' Summer Garden Party at Bucks Pally lol!
OK - Back to reality lol!
We're still enjoying some gorgeous sunshiney weather and it's lovely to see the garden coming alive again although there's some serious tidying up needing done out there. Unfortunately the heavy snow we had over the winter caused devastation to the yucca that I had been bragging about last Summer when it was in full flower and looking very impressive SEE HERE.   As there doesn't appear to be any sign of life, (despite all my pleading with it), I fear hubby is going to have to set about it with a chainsaw to remove it.   That'll be a sad day as it's been there a long time and will leave a huge gap in the garden.   We'll check it for any vital signs when we return from Inverness ... but at the moment it's not looking promising at all.
Righty-O ... I'm late for an appointment with my pillow so will toddle off for now and see you on Sunday sometime.
Take care and enjoy the weekend, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.
MWAH xxx

Bah! Humbug! #16

2011-04-22T03:26:00.001+01:00

Most of the UK has been enjoying some lovely weather over recent weeks, which has made it difficult at times to concentrate on making Christmas cards. However, we Humbuggers and our Guest Designers are very dedicated and have been beavering away over at Humbug Hall, determined to continue providing you all with ideas to keep you focussed on building up your stockpile in readiness for Christmas.
The challenge this week is a nice easy one, as we realise that many of you will be busy with other commitments over Easter weekend, especially those of you with children on holiday from school. So all you have to do this week is create something which features

Santa Claus

Didn't I tell you it was easy!?
When I was tidying some bits'n'bobs the other day, I came across some dinky little Santa embellishments which I thought would be just the thing for a nice'n'easy card as I'm still not quite ready for anything too complicated.
All I needed to do was choose a wee bit of pretty patterned paper, add some mirri card and BISH ... BASH ... BOSH! ... I ended up with a nice cheery card to add to my collection.

Now I've no doubt that you can do much better and if you'd like to prove it then nip across to Humbug Hall and join in with our challenge. You can check out what the other girls have been making while you're there.

Bah! Humbug! #15

2011-04-15T11:58:00.001+01:00

It's been a looooooooong time since I posted anything here and it seems Mr Blogger decided to punish my neglect by 'eating' the message I'd carefully prepared and scheduled for today!    Hey HO! It was just a lot of blether anyway so he's done us all a favour lol! Anyway ... in case you hadn't guessed ..
I'm back!   ... and boy have I missed you all. Thank you for not abandoning me while I was away.
Those who visit Bah! Humbug! will have read occasional updates on the physio etc. but to be honest there wasn't much to tell as progress was really slow.
However, I'm now able to drive, (although I have to remember not to put the handbrake on so hard that I need 2 hands to release it), and it's about time for me to get back to cardmaking. So what better way to return than with a Christmas card for the latest challenge at Humbug Hall ... although I confess to misinterpreting the theme first time round ... *blush* ... but rather than embarrass myself by explaining, you will find the whole sorry story over at Bah! Humbug!

So here's my card.

As you see it's a very simple offering in pink and black with a dash of silver mirri card and pretty wee ribbon bow detail. Didn't want to try anything too complicated in case I got in a guddle lol! The stockings and message are peel offs which came free with a magazine and punches were used for the circles which were then pierced with a pokey-tool.
Isn't the texture on this card beautiful? It's from a kit bought from Inspire Me Papers who do the most gorgeous luxury card.

So there you have it. If you'd like to play along with the Humbuggers and meet our fantastic April Guest Designers Kelly and Veronica, then pop over to Humbug Hall and see what they've all been up to this week. I'm off for a coffee and a wee lie down after all this excitement.

Thank You

2011-01-24T12:23:00.000Z

Would just like to say a huge "Thank You" for all the lovely Get Well messages I have received via telephone, e-mail, Facebook, my blog and even on Bah! Humbug! They are all very much appreciated.
I had surgery on my arm last Thursday but a rather horrid experience meant I couldn't come home until my blood pressure stabilised and they got the pain under control, which was Saturday. Am still very sore, but hopefully over the worst now - will just have to behave, do as I'm told by the doctor, keep taking the tartan tablets and all should be fine. Will keep you updated with any progress but in the meantime, I will do my best to come and visit you over the next couple of weeks to drool over your creative projects lol! Take care everyone and thanks again for your concern.

Luv'n'Stuff
Max
xx

Bah! Humbug! #2

2011-01-14T13:38:00.000Z

Today is Bah! Humbug! Challenge day and I'm running even later than usual with my DT card after having a wee fight with black ice on Wednesday, whilst in Edinburgh. Unfortunately, I lost.
YESSIRREE - I broke my wrist ... *cue violins* ... LOOK!

Amazingly, although I was obviously in agony, not one single person offered to help me up or collect my belongings, (which were strewn across the pavement). NOT ONE! Maybe they thought I was practicing some strange dance moves or something while writhing around in agony on the wet pavement, desperately trying not to cry, scream or swear - but they didn't applaud my performance so it can't have been that. It's a classic example of people not wanting to get involved I suppose. Anyway ... I eventually managed to gather everything together myself and got a taxi back to the dealership garage where our car was being serviced and they called an ambulance to take me to A+E.
Apparently it was quite a nasty break - wrists aren't supposed to be 'S-shaped' - and although it's still quite painful, I did manage to make a card for this week's Stencil Challenge thanks to a steady supply of painkillers.
I used the Fiskars Shapeboss, kindly given to me by my fellow Humbugger Ann when we were in York last February.

As the design I wanted to use was on one of the small miniboss stencils, I could only use the orange pegs to hold it in place on one side. The other side was taped firmly to the board and the linen card was sandwiched between the 2 stencil sections. I then embossed around the design with the stylus. Easy Peasy ... Lemon Squeezy! Even one-handed!
Then I flipped the card and stencil over and inked over the embossed areas with Dew Drop Pearl Sky Blue inkpad. The final touch was going over the design with stickles to add some sparkle. When this dried I cut around the design with decorative scissors and matted it onto blue and then silver card, leaving a narrow border, before adhering the panel slightly to the left of centre, on the card front.

A sparkly peel off greeting fills the bottom corner and a trio of matching snowflakes fill the bare space ... and also cover a couple of inky finger marks but don't tell anyone ... tee hee.
There are some fabulous stencil projects being shared over at Bah! Humbug, so you should treat yourself to a look ... and if you'd like to join in with us this week, then we'd be more than pleased to see how creative you are with stencils.
Now I have to go for a wee lie down as all this one handed typing is quite tiring.

2011 Bah! Humbug! # 1

2011-01-07T03:00:00.000Z

The Bah! Humbug! Christmas Challenges are back! WHOO HOO!
The theme for our first challenge for 2011 is

Holly and/or Fairies

... and there is a fabulous prize on offer for one lucky random entry so it's got to be worth having a go hasn't it? We also have a brand new Guest designer who has 2 beautiful cards to share and although I know you're just dying to know who it is, I'm not telling you ... you'll have to go and see!
Our fellow Humbugger Irene is unwell at the moment so she's sadly unable to join in this time, but Ann and I hope she will be back with us very soon 'cos it's just not the same without her work up there too.
Anyway ... getting back to challenge #1
I chose the Holly theme and created this card using some gorgeous gold foiled card from Kanban which was layered with some rich green textured card matted onto gold mirri card for a classy look.

The Holly, berries and wreath shape were cut using a Marianne Creatables die set and some pretty green and gold ribbon adds a little more luxury to the inside back panel of gold mirri card. If you'd like a closer look at the fabulous foiling, then just click the images.

If you fancy the idea of having a ready stash of Christmas cards in 2011 without any last minute running around like a headless chicken, then join in with our Bah! Humbug! Challenges every week and you'll see just how easily that can be achieved.
Look forward to seeing you there!

HAPPY NEW YEAR DEAR FRIENDS

2011-01-01T01:27:00.001Z

Would Just Like To Wish All Who Visit My Wee Corner of Blogland Good Health and Happiness For 2011

Oh Poop!

2010-12-06T15:12:00.002Z

Woke up this morning to almost blizzard conditions and another 6- 8 inches of snow. I made the decision not to send my daughter out even though the school had officially reopened, according to the Fife Council website. Within half an hour the list of schools closed in Fife rose from 12 to 95 before the site finally crashed. Feel especially sorry for all the kids who have their prelims in January, as there will be a mountain of schoolwork to catch up when they do eventually return to the classroom ... whenever that may be.

Spent part of the weekend, when I wasn't clearing snow, making some fun stuff for Naomi's pals, as an alternative to Christmas cards ... hence the title!
I know there are some people who frown on this idea, considering it 'toilet humour' and they're perfectly entitled to their opinion, but personally, I think it's just a bit of fun and am sure the kids would much prefer some sweet goodies to a Christmas card anyway!

So we have bags of

Penguin Poop ... filled with chocolate raisins

Reindeer Poop ... filled with Maltesers

And for those of a more delicate nature ...

Snowman Kisses ... filled with mini marshmallows.

The snow seems to have stopped for the moment so it's on with the wellies and out with the shovel to get clearing.
Stay safe wherever you are and just a reminder to keep one eye on any elderly or infirm neighbours you might have as they may not be receiving their usual level of care during this severe weather.

School's Out - It's Snowing!

2010-11-29T09:29:00.002Z

This is the view from our front door this morning.

Fresh virgin snow always looks so pretty. I especially love how everything looks so clean and everyday sounds seem slightly muffled ... like everywhere's wrapped in cotton wool. But there's no denying that the arrival of snow brings havoc and disruption, as has been reported on all the news channels this weekend. Here in Fife, every school and nursery is closed today and there's more snow forecast for later so the kids are happy ... if the squeals of delight from outside are anything to go by! Snowmen and igloos will be the order of the day I think.

We have plenty of soup in the cupboard though ... so reckon we'll just snuggle down in front of the fire with a mug of hot chocolate and a packet (or 2) of choccy biccies to wait for the thaw.

For those unfortunate people who have no choice but to venture out in it ... take care and stay safe xxx

Bah Humbug Blues

2010-11-26T10:58:00.003Z

Over at Bah! Humbug Challenges, the DT have set the final challenge for this year and are preparing to wind down for Christmas ... unlike everywhere else in blogland where they are winding things up as the magic month approaches.
We will really miss our Friday get-togethers with the loyal friends who have supported us throughout our debut year and "Humbugger Hall" will seem very cold and lonely without them. So it is fitting that this week our challenge theme is "Feeling The Blues"
Icy blue card and pretty snowflake paper, combined with silver mirri card provide a perfect base for this beautiful large white snowflake, which is from a set of tree decorations I spied in Asda. I just lurrrrve the texture and hint of sparkle but if you are tempted to get some yourself, then take the precaution of opening the packet in a shoebox or something similar and spray both sides with cheap hairspray before use to help reduce the 'shedding' of bits.

Silver snowflakes and some ice blue glitter ribbon were added to embellish the greeting which was stamped with a Pearlescent Blue Dew Drop ink pad and cut with a scalloped punch, before being popped on with silicon glue.

Inside was decorated with a leftover strip of mirri card which had been diecut with Marianne Snowflake for another project and was conveniently lying on the desk, along with a sparkly peel off greeting matted onto mirri card.

A couple of blue star gems are the final finishing touch to the snowflakes.
I will be entering my card into Simon Says Stamp Challenge -Let It Snow which qualifies me for entry to Lorraine's sponsored Blog Candy for the chance to win an adorable House Mouse stamp. Am also joining in with Wild Rose Studio's Blog Hop as the layout follows Dawny P's sketch ... if you turn it 90 degrees. There's a fantastic prize on offer and all the DT members have a stamp to give away, so plenty of chances to win.

There's lots still to do at Humbugger Hall before we close and padlock the huge iron gates for the last time and settle down to hibernate with the dust and cobwebs. Including the announcement of our Special Prize Draw winners next week, which will be very exciting, so don't miss it.
Meanwhile there's a challenge for you to be getting on with ... so GET ON WITH IT! Remember to leave us a link or we may be forced to let the Humbug Hounds out ... and you wouldn't want us to do that as they haven't been fed since .... ermmmm ... January!

Bah! Humbug! 45

2010-11-20T04:49:00.000Z

Our Bah! Humbug! Challenge this week is a colour theme and we want you to pick through your 'purples' and show us some Lilac.
I have been itching to ink up the new November release Waltzing Mouse Stamps that arrived earlier this week and, (as time has once again been my enemy), I opted to keep things as simple as possible.
I chose to stamp this holly, from 'Around Christmastime' set, onto some lavender card and then heat embossed with silver powder, before cutting out with a scalloped circle punch and adding some purple adhesive pearls.
Then I found some lilac card and dragged out the Cuttlebug and a couple of Christmassy embossing folders for the next stage.

First I used the 'Mistletoe' folder on a square of lilac card, and matted it to silver mirri with double-sided tape, before adding a few random pearls. Then, on an identical square, I decided to use only part of the 'Snowflake Frame' folder on opposite edges.
To do this, you place the card into the folder as normal, place your 2nd 'B' plate over the portion you want embossed and then roll the sandwich through the cuttlebug, making sure you hit reverse when you reach the edge of that 2nd 'B' plate. Do this on both edges and remember YOU MUSTN'T GO ALL THE WAY!
(Hmmm ... that phrase sounds very familiar but can't recall for the life of me where I've heard it before ... ) Ahem .... *snigger*
Now there's every chance that my rather inadequate instructions have totally confused you ... actually I think I've confused myself and I know that I know what I mean! However, I'm sure you will understand once you try it for yourself and if not then I'll find a link to a tutorial for you.
OK ... back to the card ...

Pearlescent lavender ink was roughly rubbed over the embossed snowflakes and this square was cut diagonally. The triangle edges were then heat embossed with silver and matted onto a slightly larger triangle of lavender card before attaching on top of the embossed square.

All that remained to do now was add the punched holly circle, stamp and emboss the fabby sentiment, which is from the WMS 'Festive Foliage' set, and add a lilac bow.
At first I thought the 'mistletoe' embossing looked a bit boring and I was tempted to add some sparkle. However, I've decided I quite like the contrast between the matt look and the pearlescent sheen of both panels so am going to leave it be for now.
Incidently, I used the remaining triangular section to decorate inside but forgot to take a photo.

Bah! Humbug! 44

2010-11-12T13:13:00.004Z

Apologies for being so late this week - this post was scheduled for this morning but ended up in 'draft somehow. Anyway ... am here now.
This week's card features one of the most universally instantly recognisable Christmas characters of all time! Little Rudi ... and his secret twin brother ... have been playing around with the tree lights and got themselves in a little bit of a guddle. Tut tut ... but their really cute expressions melt the heart so it's difficult to be cross with them for too long.

Let me tell you, they weren't the only one's to 'get in a guddle' this week either! Everything was layered up and looking fine until the very last moment when disaster struck! The red stickles bottle split open, just as I was adding the last wee bit of sparkle to the letters and spewed red, sticky, sparkly, gloopy mess, all over the almost completed card! Don't you just hate it when that happens? GRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrr ... the air was a glorious shade of blue as I desperately tried to save something ... ANYTHING! But alas t'was to no avail. The card was a definite 'bin job' and I had to start all over again.

Apologies that the letters look a little curled up, but the glitter and the snow weren't quite dry when I took the photos. They look fine now and if I get a chance I will re-take photos.

Fortunately I had a spare set of images and letters printed off and knew exactly what I wanted to do, having already done it once, so it didn't take long to cut them out and put it all together. AGAIN. The only thing missing on this version are the red berries on the tree, but that will be rectified when my new bottle of red stickles arrives LOL! Well ... you've gotta' larf!
Hopefully my fellow Bah Humbuggers and our Guest Designer Pat had a less stressful time with their projects. We have also announced a winner for our Embossing Folder Prize so check out Bah! Humbug! right now to see if it's you.

Birthday Princess

2010-11-09T11:07:00.000Z

At the Sugar Bowl this week, there is a sketch to follow and, as always, a fabulous prize is up for grabs for one lucky winner.
My entry uses the Sugar Nellie Manga Princess image, stamped in black onto white card and her hair and skin were coloured with Promarkers. Her dress and tiara were paper-pieced using pretty My Mind's Eye paper with a subtle floral pattern.

The petticoat was also paper-pieced but with white card which was sparkled up using Cotton Candy Stickles and the image was then mounted onto blue paper with foam pads for dimension before being cut around with decorative scissors.

The floral backing paper is a 6" x 6" sheet from the same MME pad, adhered to a cream tent fold card blank. Aqua Stickles were rubbed over the embossed circle which had been cut with wavy-edged scissors to match the lower panel, before I added a rub-on greeting and placed a holographic 3D butterfly to hover daintily over the edge of the image.

The inside was simply decorated with the leftover strips matted onto card leaving a narrow border.
Hopefully the Birthday Princess for whom this card is intended will forgive me for neglecting to add any ribbons or bows, which was the Sugar Bowl optional theme, but I kind've ran out of room.

WMS - Tag Challenge

2010-11-06T17:22:00.002Z

I have been trying all day to upload this tag as my entry for Waltzing Mouse Stamps 'Tag You're It' Challenge with the opportunity of potentially winning up to £125 worth of goodies. YES I KNOW!
IT'S AN AWESOME PRIZE

Elf Shoe Silhouette Tag

Inside View

Holograhic Embossing Powder

Anyhow ... I've been struggling all day and this will probably going to be my last chance as the deadline closes in about an hour, so please forgive me for not supplying all the 'deets' - will be back later!

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 43

2010-11-05T09:58:00.002Z

It's the final month of challenges for 2010 over at Bah! Humbug! and we have a brand new Guest Designer Pat of Pip's Pastimes joining us. So if you haven't already made a start on your Christmas cards this year ... and if not then WHY not? ... then you might benefit from checking out our projects this week to get you in the mood.
My Fancy Fold offering is quite simply an ordinary gatefold card with a couple of extra folds thrown in on the front panels for added interest.

The fabulous green and gold Christmas tree paper is from Dovecraft Vintage Christmas Collection and is matted onto gold mirri card to really bring out the warm tones.

After cutting the main piece for the back panel, I cut one of the trees from the remains to pop onto the front for some added dimension. I can't decide whether to add some adhesive gems or not - what do you think?

The large snowflakes are a Marianne die cut from gold mirri card and the tiny ones are made with a small snowflake punch. The stamped greeting has been heat embossed with gold on black card and is one of the messages from a Buzzcraft Christmas set - a recent sale bargain.
My fellow Bah! Humbuggers are waiting to show you their projects too and if you need any further persuasion to get out your Christmas stash and join in then we have a wee prize up for grabs this week for one lucky random entry.

Sugar Nellie Sneaky Peek

2010-11-03T09:51:00.002Z

Oh My Giddy Aunt!

Just check out these adorable new soon-to-be-released beauties I've spotted over at Sugar Nellie Stamps

Bah! Humbug! 42

2010-10-29T12:38:00.002+01:00

Okay - Hands Up - Who stole the week?
Sheeesh ... Fridays seem to come around so quickly these days.   But the good thing is that
Friday = Bah! Humbug! Challenge Day - YAHAY!
This week the team are looking for Presents.
Now when I say that I don't mean literally ... we don't want you to send us presents ... EEEK! ... How outrageous would that be?   Such bad manners! Shameless! Unthinkable!    No, no, NO!
What I ACTUALLY mean is that we'd like you to follow our theme of Presents on your projects. YES! That's what I mean ... well ... I think it is LOL!
Easel cards have exploded into the crafty community and are now a firm favourite with crafters worldwide because they are so easy to make.

The cute teddy is a from a Kanban stamp set which I bought at Kitty Krafts when I visited and this is it's first outing. Isn't he adorable?
He was coloured with Promarkers and then cut out before adding Star Dust Stickles to the furry trim and Black Stickles to his nose. Click the Pic for a close up.

I'd originally planned to create my trio of gifts from patterned papers but I discovered a stash of square fabric samples which were much more 'touchy-feely' and made a really good alternative. I added ribbons, bows and a pretty star embellishment before arranging them on some gold mirri card and sitting ted on top. I then cut around the outline, leaving a narrow border and used foam pads to adhere it to the base card, which had already been decorated with snowflake paper matted onto blue textured card.

The greeting is another Kanban stamp, which was cut around and mounted onto layers of red mirri card cut with Nestabilities, pink glitter card and blue card cut with deckle edged scissors, all raised up with silicon glue to create the stop strip.
My fellow Humbuggers and Guest Designer Jenny also have some fabulous present projects to show you so pop over and take a peek, before hurrying off to make your own. Don't forget to come back though and leave us a link so we can come and admire your gift ideas.
OH and if anyone is feeling particularly generous and should want my address then ..... tee hee hee xxx ... just kidding!

Bah! Humbug! 41

2010-10-22T16:24:00.002+01:00

Sorry I'm a bit late this week but things have been rather hectic with a horse emergency over the last couple of days. However ... things have quietened down now, the panic is over and tears have been kissed away, so on with the show.
For this week's Elegance Challenge at Bah! Humbug! I decided to keep it simple with a black and white colour combination and some embossed stamping.

The gorgeous silhouette birds are Inkadinkadoo stamps, which I think are beautifully elegant and they work wonderfully when teamed with the fabulous Peace stamp from Clarity Stamps.

Everything was stamped with black ink and then embossed with holographic powder for a lovely touch of shine.

A little bit of black card for matting and trios of adhesive gems are all the extra touches that are needed.

Further examples of elegance can be found by my teamies and our Guest Designer Jenny at Bah! Humbug! so pop over there and take a looksee.
I am heading off to Dundee now with Naomi for some bowling coaching, so catch you all later. It's all go y'know!

Bah! Humbug! 40

2010-10-15T13:32:00.001+01:00

Hmmmm ... not sure whether it was my fault or Mr. Blogger but my 'scheduled' post was in 'draft' hence it is so late ... apologies for that. But not to worry - am here now.
The theme at Bah! Humbug! this week had me in a bit of a 'dither' as I very rarely use vellum in my cardmaking. Not because I don't like it ... and not because I don't have any. Just because I never quite know what to DO with it.
However, I bit the bullet, dug out some gorgeous foiled vellum and had a wee play which resulted in this vellum tree easel card.

The gold dotty vellum was embossed with the Papermania Swirly Tree and then cut out before being matted onto gold mirri card, which was also cut around leaving a border. I then added a few amber coloured stars for decoration and set it aside to dry while I made an 8" x 8" easel card blank.

I had some lovely pearlescent card already picked out which proved perfect for embossing with the Cuttlebug Trees and Snowflakes that I wanted for the decorative strips and it has just a hint of sparkle to catch the light. Luvverly!

Some luxury gold wire ribbon provides a bow for the top panel and the off cuts of vellum and gold mirri were cut with Nestabilities Stars to fill the space that was not embossed with the trees.

The final panel was made up using the text vellum matted onto gold mirri and held on with small brads. I also added some glue where I knew it would be hidden by the tree just to be doubly secure.
So despite my initial reservations, I'm actually quite happy with the final result and would not be embarrassed to send it to someone special this Christmas.
My fellow teamies and our Guest Designer Jenny have also been busy 'pootling' with their vellum, so hop over and see what they've been up to at Bah! Humbug!
Meanwhile ... I am off to enter my card at We Are In 2 Crafting ... Are You? because it fits their Christmas themed October Challenge with a recipe of

3 snowflakes (at least) - embossed snowflakes ...

2 papers - 2 different vellum ...

1 ribbon - gold wire ribbon

Happy Birthday Dad

2010-10-13T14:18:00.001+01:00

It's my dad's birthday today and I decided to make a stepper card for him ... just to be a little bit different from all the other cards dropping through his door.
The majority of the papers were in my K. & Co. drawer and all were matted onto gold mirri card before being added to the seperate panels.

The lovely foiled paper is from a pack called "Vennaissance" by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and I cut one of the foiled oval figures to mat it up with offcuts from the other papers to create a focal panel, before adding the greeting. The lovely wide green and gold ribbon was perfect for a nice big bow to decorate the back panel.

The scalloped border across the front is also K. & Co. from a 12" x 12" pad of double-sided papers and some dark green adhesive pearls add just enough decoration without being OTT. There are a couple of challenges this week which suit this card so I may as well join in. Well ... you never know when lady luck is going to knock at the door ... rata..tat..tat.
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge - Fancy Folds
Crazy 4 Challenges 58 - Birthday
Anything Goes Challenge 20 - Ribbons

Bah! Humbug! 39

2010-10-08T10:07:00.009+01:00

I missed last week's Bah! Humbug! Challenge as I wasn't feeling too great ... okay I was feeling sorry for myself and a wee bit bleurgh ... but my fellow 'Humbuggers' were very understanding and let me have the week off - thanks ladies mwah xx.
Didn't want to push my luck with them though, so made a little bit of an effort this week for the 'Cutie' Challenge. (Emphasis on the 'LITTLE')
I have a gazillion different cuties in my stash so was a little spoiled for choice to be honest. However I opted for these cute Forever Friends characters for 2 reasons.
* They were close at hand - didn't have to go delving
AND
* They are stickers - no effort required at all.
PEEL AND PLACE ... job done!

The red foiled card is from Kanban and already beautifully embossed, so nothing to do there. It was a left over strip from a previous project but was a smidgen too narrow, so to make it fit a DL card blank, I matted it onto gold mirri. Clever huh? The stickers were then popped onto scraps of gold mirri and cut around to give them a wee border before popping them, across the front with silicon glue, varying the height slightly.

Then I grabbed some Star Dust Stickles and 'sparkled up' the letters, added the sentiment and ... FINALLY came the hard part - waiting for it all to dry!
I have also 'sparkled up' their furry hat trims since taking these photos so they're even cuter.
Ann, Irene and our Guest Designer Jenny have put far more effort into their gorgeous Cute Creations, so you must visit and drool. We also named the winner to last week's prize draw so pop over to see if it was you ... but if it wasn't, don't despair. We still have one more Monthly Prize to award in November and there may be a couple of random spot prizes making their way to surprise winners before 2010 closes. There'll also be the winner of our Loyalty Prize Draw to announce in December for those who have managed to complete 30 of our 2010 challenges. So all still very exciting!

Now I wonder if Mr. Blogger has reduced my followers list to a decent size yet so I can go visiting. The thumbnails were absolutely humungous this morning (maybe been taking growth hormone?) so I could only see about 4 posts before the page ran out. NOT good.

A Fairy Happy Birthday

2010-10-05T14:36:00.002+01:00

It's been a while since I showcased any of my recent cards ... partly because I haven't felt up to it following a rather nasty flareup of HS and the inevitable 'dice'n'slice' (yowch!) ... and partly because Mr. Blogger has been a wee bit temperamental and I haven't had the energy or inclination to do battle. However, I'm feeling better today and have even managed to drive myself to the surgery this morning so things are on the up'n'up.
This card was completed more than a week ago for submission to the Sugar Bowl Challenge 44 - a sketch by Lilian with the optional theme of 'A Birthday Card'. As you see, I have done a step card but hopefully you can still recognise the sketch layout.

The image is Sugar Nellie -Woodland Fairy which has been coloured with Promarkers and sparkled up with Diamond Stickles. The patterned papers are all from DCWV Spring Glitter Stack although to be honest, they are more like cardstock than paper, and as a bonus, they're beautifully glittered too. You may need to click the photos to get a better idea of how sparkly they really are.

I have used some coordinating textured card to mat it onto and a strip was also cut with zig-zag scissors before decorating with pretty non fray ribbon and a prima flower. The image was cut with Labels Four Nestablilities and then mounted with silicon glue across the ribbon. The final finishing touch was the addition of some pretty graduated 3D butterflies, one for each level.
Flutter By Wednesday Challenge 124 are looking for some 'Sparkle and Shine' and as the papers, butterflies and fairy all sparkle with glittery gorgeousness, I reckon I'm safe there. Coincidently A Spoonful of Sugar have that as their theme this week too ... and Hazel let me know that Moving Along With The Times are looking for Fairies or Fantasy ... so it's sparkles all round!
I'll be back later with some more cards which have been patiently waiting for their 5 seconds in the spotlight but I really must go and see what the postie delivered this morning. Enjoy the rest of your day, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Anniversary Hugs

2010-09-25T15:45:00.002+01:00

I remember reading this quote a long time ago ...

"You don't marry the person you can live with,

You marry the person who you cannot live without."

... and decided it was good enough advice to follow.

So I did

Today is our 23rd Anniversary

Bah! Humbug! 37 - Stars

2010-09-24T10:40:00.001+01:00

My DT example for Bah! Humbug! this week follows a wonderful Acetate Card Tutorial, which demonstrates a simple technique to ensure your background doesn't tip forward when the finished card is on display. Not good if you've been sneaking the sherry LOL! It was written by my very good Humbugger buddy and VERY bad influence Ann, who constantly leads me into temptation where crafting goodies are concerned and is responsible for my ever growing obsession with rubber - of the stamping kind in case you're wondering.

I used the free downloads from the new 'Beatrix Potter - A Winter's Tale' release which is currently available for members at Crafter's Companion. Very generous and perfect for those of us who have to be a bit more canny with their 'cally-dosh' at the moment. I'm entering their Monthly Challenge where the prize up for grabs is the whole Winter's Tale Collection - SQUEAL! - so wish me luck. I will try to remember to breathe until the winner's name has been announced and not be too disappointed if the random winner isn't me!
As I have mentioned before, decoupage is definitely not my favourite technique but, as the ideal choice for this kind of card, I had no choice but to get out the snips and have to confess now I see the finished result, it was worth making the effort. As I'd only printed 2 sheets of background scenery, I improvised for an additional layer with a piece of blue glitter card which was torn and then attacked with Icicle Stickles. AND because I love the 'Stickles Effect' so much, the trees and snow were punished severely too.

See what I mean?

The bunnies are also decoupaged, although it is difficult to see the layers in this photo - and yes - they were also 'stickled' within an inch of their little bunny lives. The extra sparkle hasn't slowed them down any though.
My original intention was to add the stars randomly across the acetate front, but I was reluctant to hide the scenery so opted for arranging them across the sentiment panel at the bottom. Acetate cards can have a tendency to topple unless heavy duty acetate is used, so doing this helps as a card stabiliser.
The other DT members Ann, Irene and our Guest Designer Anne, have some beautiful starry samples to show you so head over and check them out too.

Bah! Humbug! 36

2010-09-17T09:19:00.006+01:00

It's Bah! Humbug! Challenge day today and this week Ann decided we should concentrate on TEXT as a focal point on our projects.
I had been shuffling through some papers the other day ... as you do ... and came across the Papermania 'Naughty and Nice' collection from last year which contains lovely modern funky patterns, including a couple of text sheets.
Originally I intended to cut a large piece and layer it onto a card ... add some ribbon and maybe a snowflake or something. But, as often happens, I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to be a teeny weeny bit more adventurous.
I matted the star paper onto the bottom section of some pink glitter card and adhered it to an 8" x 8" square card blank.

Then I cut a strip of flourescent green card with decorative scissors and added a length of brown ribbon before placing this over the join with foam pads.

After cutting 'Happy Christmas' from the text sheet I glued this onto the pink glitter card and cut around it with the same decorative scissors as before, doing the same again with the green card and then mounting the whole thing at the top of the card.
In hindsight I think it still looks a little unfinished but will possibly add some adhesive stars or gems across the ribbon as extra decoration before I post it.
Inside I simply used offcuts of the same paper and card to make a centre panel for the greeting.

To see what the other Bah Humbuggers, including out Guest designer Anne, have been up to, just pop across and take a peek and if you'd like to join in, then you'll be sure of a warm welcome.

PS: Do you like my new custom stamp which arrived the other day? Found Craft Stamps Online who will turn your own designs and layout into a clear stamp - so I sent off my design created in PSP and 3 days later received my unique stamp. Cool Huh?

9/11 - We Will Never Forget

2010-09-11T00:35:00.000+01:00

Thinking of all those who suffered
and remembering the heroes

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 35

2010-09-10T11:20:00.001+01:00

Hands up! T'was me yer honour!
I confess it was my choice for the 'Favourites' challenge this week and I admit that when it came to it, I found it really REALLY hard to choose. There are just far too many fabulous products available these days ... and I love them all! With the possible exception of decoupage LOL.
However, the decision was kind've made for me because, (as is becoming a regular occurance), I was short of time so had to pick something quick and easy.

Out came the Cuttlebug, the Papermania Ornaments embossing folder and some gold mirri card. Seconds later the focal image was ready to apply some red Stckles - which is another current favourite product.

Black A4 cardstock was folded in half and then the front was folded back again to create a zigzag base card. Some beautifully luxurious Kanban foiled and embossed refective card was added to the narrow front panel and the larger back panel, leaving a narrow black border.

The embossed ornaments were matted onto some black cardstock and mounted onto the front panel with foam pads.
BISH! BASH! BOSH! JOB DONE!
The other 'Bah Humbuggers' have taken more time than me and created beautiful cards with their favourite products so pop over and have a looksee. We have also announced the winner of last week's prize draw ... so check to see who the lucky random winner is while you're there and if you have a favourite of your own, then please join in with our challenge.

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 34

2010-09-03T10:06:00.001+01:00

When I saw this week's challenge theme of A Christmas Carol or Song, it was a 'no brainer' to choose 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer' and give this fabulous Hampton Art stamp it's first airing of 2010. Measuring 5" x 31/2" it is quite a large wooden stamp but I do love it despite it hogging so much space in the drawer.

I stamped him onto smooth white card with black ink and embossed with holographic powder. The only colour added was by way of red, gold and black Stickles and this was set aside to dry whilst I prepared the card. I love how his nose looks especially sparkly and shiny.

The papers were offcuts from my scrap box, but I'm pretty sure they're HOTP and they were placed onto an 8" x 8" white card blank leaving a border around the edge. Spotty ribbon was stuck onto a strip of gold mirri card which had been cut with zigzag scissors and this was then placed over the join with foam pads.
Using the largest Labels Two Nestability shape as a template, I drew around it with pencil onto folded red mrri card, slightly overlapping the fold and cut it out by hand to make a mini card for the front ... wasn't keen to risk damaging the cuttlebug trying to force it through the rollers.

I then used a smaller shape to cut out the printed lyrics and the red mirri card used for matting was trimmed with zigzag scissors. More spotty ribbon was used to tie it shut before mounting it onto the centre of the card front. Silicon glue was applied to the lower portion of the stamped image and stuck in place. Circle punches and a simple stamped greeting placed on top of the ribbon tie finish things off nicely.
It's Prize Challenge week at Bah! Humbug! so come and play along to be in with a chance of nabbing some goodies. Both Ann and Irene have lovely cards to show you too so there's no shortage of inspiration and if you haven't already started your 2010 Christmas cards then now might be a good time. There's only 112 SLEEPS left y'know.
I'm going to play along with the following challenges ...
Alphabet Challenge - 'S' is for Scallops
Charisma Cardz 35 - Inspired By A Song
The Stampman 4 - Musical

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 33

2010-08-27T09:44:00.001+01:00

Hard to believe there's only 4 short months left until Christmas ... in fact, only 119 sleeps until generous jolly Santa makes his annual visit! Hope you've been good this year so that all your Christmas dreams come true!
Our Bah! Humbug! Challenge this week is to use CHARMS and I dug deep into my stash and found a teeny weeny tree charm tucked away in an embellishment box.

That set the theme and was perfect to go with one of the gorgeous black felt trees I recently 'inherited' from my friend Isa ... who's moving to a new flat next month and offered me first dibs on her craft stash! She didn't need to ask twice and I took it all for a bargain basement price.

Some dots of Icicle Stickles make pretty tree decorations and add a wee touch of sparkle. I had some embossed black card and a square of foiled card decorated with swirls and snowflakes left over from another project, so simply married them together. The charm is hung from some sparkly black and silver twine and a silver embellished greeting finishes the front.
Ann and Irene have their own 'charming' projects to show you so pop over to Bah! Humbug! and take a peek!
Coincidently, both Rainbow Lady's Challenge and Creative Card Crew have 'Sparkle and Shine' as their theme this week, so I'm hoping this card has enough of both to qualify.
Hope you all enjoy a Wonderful Weekend ... wherever you are and whatever you are doing xxx

Snowflake ...

2010-08-25T03:46:00.001+01:00

... is the name of this pretty little Sugar Nellie stamp I used for my card. Isn't she sweet?

She was stamped onto linen effect card with black Memento ink and then heat embossed with holographic embossing powder before colouring with Promarkers and adding Stickles for extra sparkle.
The background papers are from a DCWV pad which has been in my stash for a very long time and never lets me down if I'm in a hurry or struggling to decide on colour choices. Sadly there are only a few sheets which remain untouched now, but I really can't complain as it has served me well being one of the very first items I ever bought from QVC - believe it or not, that was several years ago.

Silver mirri card was embossed with snowflakes in the cuttlebug and then cut in half to provide the panels which sit behind the main image and a snowflake border punch helps to decorate the white spaces.

I only own 2 of the Sugar Nellie Christmas range at the moment, but there are 4 new Christmas Mangas due for release very soon and IF Mr. Random Selector thingy is feeling really kind and chooses my entry number, then I could be the lucky winner of all of them AND a set of Spellbinders. Isn't that a fabby prize?
If you fancy having a go yourself then you'll need to be quick and head over to Sugar Bowl Challenge 41 and get your entry in before midnight. YES - Thats midnight tonight!
Just follow Marlene's cool sketch with the optional theme of using 'Something Old or Something New'. My papers definitely qualify as old so perfect for this challenge extra.

Bah! Humbug! - Challenge 32

2010-08-20T03:33:00.003+01:00

Summer holidays are officially over now as the schools started back a couple of days ago. Just a shame that we didn't actually enjoy much sunshine during the 6 1/2 weeks of holidays, although I believe much, much, MUCH nicer weather was enjoyed 'darn sarrf' ... especially 'sarrf' of London!
Anyway just in case you hadn't realised, this means that Christmas is creeping ever closer and will catch you out if you're not careful!
So thank goodness for Bah! Humbug! Challenges because without them my 2010 Christmas Card supply, and that of many other cardmakers, would probably be non-existent. This year I should have a fairly healthy stockpile of special cards ready and waiting to send to some ... if not all ... the special people in my life.
The Bah! Humbug! theme this week is Winter Wonderland and I had hoped to spend a little more time than I actually managed, attempting something mind-blowingly fantastic to wow you with. However ... best laid plans and all that jazz! I'm afraid you'll just have to wait until another time for the 'mind-blowingly fantastic whatever it is that hasn't happened yet' project LOL!

My trusty and reliable Cuttlebug was combined with Spellbinder Nested Pine Trees and a couple of, (oh so popular), embossing folders, and that helped to make this card a little more interesting than it might otherwise have been, although I must confess I lurrrrrrve the linen effect card blank.

Adhesive gems and silver peel off letters for the greeting are the final finishing touch along with a couple of fancy snowflakes popped into the corners. I'm swithering whether to add Stickles to the white trees - what do you think?
My fellow 'Bah Humbuggers' Ann and Irene have been much more industrious AND ... dare I say adventurous? ... yes I dare! ... so you absolutely MUST pay them a visit. And just in case anyone missed our exciting Bah Humbug Claim to Fame this week, just CLICK HERE

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 31

2010-08-13T03:59:00.006+01:00

A classic black and white combination was the simple recipe for my Bah! Humbug! Challenge offering this week. It is one of my favourite choices when it comes to quick and easy cards because there's ALWAYS black and white card within easy reach of any crafter.

I stamped these lovely Debbie Moore fanfare angels and Noel text silhouette stamps with black ink onto white linen effect card.

They were heat embossed with black embossing powder and then sprayed with Crafter's Companion Irridescent Sparkle. I really like the sparkle finish but wish I knew how to stop the nozzle clogging up as it's very tiresome having to continually rinse it.

Anyway, while that was drying, I punched 2 strips of snowflakes from sheets of white and black embossed card using the Martha Stewart border punch - part of a recent QVC TSV which was simply too good a bargain to pass up.

A panel of black embossed card was placed to the left of a DL landscape card blank and the white snowflake strip was glued on top vertically using a glue pen, which is pefect for getting to all the fiddly bits. The black snowflake strip was placed horizontally across the middle of the card before adding the stamped image which had been matted onto black card.

Lines were scored horizontally above and below the image up to the edge of the pretty black embossed card for additional detail.
Check out what Ann and Irene have been busy with over at Bah! Humbug! and then have a look to see who the random lucky winner of the stamp set is from last week's draw.
If you own a Christmas Fairy or Angel image that would like to spread it's wings with our challenge, then please don't be shy as we welcome all ages and abilities at Bah! Humbug! This card is eligible for the following challenges so I'm entering them all ... coooooo I must be feeling reckless.
Flutter By Wednesdays 117 - Open Challenge
ABC Christmas - 'Q' for Quick and Easy
Fab'n'Funky 35 - Favourite Colours
Our Creative Corner - Embossable

New Arrival

2010-08-10T23:06:00.005+01:00

There was a recent new addition to our family at the beginning of the month when a beautiful 8lb baby girl Maisy was born to our nephew Stuart and his wife Tricia. Welcome to our world Maisy xxx
I wanted to test my new baby stamp from the LOTV Set 3 - Occasions collection as it was a fairly recent purchase and waiting to be inked up. She was coloured with Promarkers and her blankie was highlighted with Diamond Stickles for added sparkle. I then used Labels One Nestabilities to mount the image onto a card decorated with scrapbooking papers.

A few Stickles Cotton Candy dots provide some background interest over some soft pink chalk with simple embellishments of buttons and pink ribbon.

I made an easel card, (which are still holding their popularity in the craft world), and the layout follows LOTV's sketch Challenge 59.
Their young son Oliver now has the very important job of being 'Big Brother' to his wee sister and as such needs recognition, so I have made this card using the really cool Scooter Boy stamp from Sugar Nellie.

He is also coloured using Promarkers and I couldn't resist adding Diamond Stickles to his cool bike.

Selecting Challenge 36 Sketch for the layout design means I am able to enter the Sugar Bowl Do It Yourself Challenge 40.
Inside, some peel offs and stamps provide a greeting when matted onto coloured card and patterned paper.
Both cards and gifts are now winging their way to Aberdeen and we are all looking forward to meeting Maisy for the first time ... hopefully in the not too distant future.

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 30

2010-08-06T01:49:00.000+01:00

The theme 'Through The Window' this week at Bah! Humbug! has almost driven me to distraction. Entirely my own fault though because I had, what I thought, was a brilliant idea and knew exactly what I would be doing for this challenge. However, because I'd left it until the 11th hour to put my plan into action, when it all went horribly wrong, (as it inevitably does when you're in a rush), I had already run out of time so had to resort to a quick card instead. Consequently, I'm not happy with the result ... BUT on a positive note, I have learned a valuable lesson and hopefully won't be so tardy in future!
Anyway, enough of my mishaps ... here's what I DID eventually do.

I traced around the edge of a Square Nestability die onto the inside front of the base card and then cut along the lines at the top and bottom with a craft knife and metal ruler. I then cut down the centre and folded back the panels to create a window which opens.

Using the Cuttlebug to cut the largest Labels One Nestability from gold mirri card and cutting the same sized window as the base card, from the centre, gave me a frame. After trimming a decorative edge with scissors, the frame was placed over the original opening and glued into place.

Metallic snowflakes, adhesive gems and a holly sticker were used to decorate around the frame and a greeting sticker was matted to gold mirri and added below the window.

When the window is fully opened it reveals a snowy scene and a cute Forever Friends character clutching a bunch of flowers ... ahhhhh how sweet. I couldn't resist adding some Star Dust Stickles to the snowy tree for some sparkle but I'm afraid it isn't showing in the photo.
Ann and Irene have their own lovely ideas to show you for this week's Bah! Humbug! Challenge, so don't forget to check them out and if you need any further encouragement to join in with us, then there's a super stamp set up for grabs this week because it's our 1st challenge of the month. Ooooooooooo you lucky ducks! There's nothing to lose ... so c'mon over and have a go!

Happy Birthday Naomi

2010-08-02T23:03:00.001+01:00

Naomi has enjoyed a wonderful 15th birthday today ... with lots of gorgeous cards and gifts, (which means she has a long list of thank you calls to make over the next few days) ... topped off this evening with a super meal at her favourite local eatery, The Wok N Spice. We always get a warm welcome from Jon, Isa and the staff and they made sure our little family group were well fed and watered.

The beautiful birthday cake was a melt-in-the-mouth heavenly chocolate delight. Trust me when I say it was beyond delicious!
Mega-huge thanks must go to Susan Clunie for being an absolute star at the eleventh hour and producing such a fantastic creation ... complete with ultra-cute sugar paste horse, (that Naomi wants to keep as a memento).
We're taking Cally a slice when we go to visit her tomorrow morning as she was released from hospital today following her surgery. Looking forward to seeing her again.
Think I'm going to catch up on some missed tv programmes before having an earlyish night. Sweet dreams all xxx

Get Well Soon

2010-08-01T01:59:00.001+01:00

One of Naomi's young horse riding pals had a nasty fall yesterday morning as they were preparing to go riding. Naomi phoned whilst I was food shopping and when I arrived at the farm 5 minutes later, having abandoned the trolley at Customer Services, it was immediately obvious that she needed to go to hospital.
Unfortunately the news for Cally is not too good as x-rays revealed her arm is badly broken in 2 places and will require surgery. She is to be admitted to hospital today and her parents have said they will keep us updated with any news. Obviously we hope the surgery is successful and wish her a speedy recovery but it will be several months before she will be back in the saddle. Incidently, they were really impressed with how calmly Naomi had dealt with the whole situation today - managing to deal with 2 horses as well as reassure and calm her injured friend without a hint of panic. What a star!
I made a card for Cally using this sweet image and sentiments from LOTV Stamp Set 3- Occasions following Bev's sketch for LOTV Challenge 58.

I coloured with Promarkers and then matted onto several layers of coloured card, leaving a narrow border each time. The beautiful background card with glossy daisies is from DCWV Glitter Stack and my flower embellishments were created from scraps of paper using a daisy punch before being glittered up with Star Dust Stickles. A hint of Star Dust Stickles was also added to the cute image as it looked a bit flat being surrounded by all that sparkle.

For the inside decoration, I punched another daisy from a panel of blue striped card and matted it onto deep pink cardstock. Then I ran some pretty blue non-fray ribbon down the sides before adding another glittery flower with a button centre in the corner and stamping the LOTV sentiment.

We hope to visit Cally when she comes home after her surgery but in the meantime we will be sending special thoughts to her and her anxious parents ... especially for tomorrow.

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 29

2010-07-30T01:04:00.002+01:00

The challenge at Bah! Humbug! this week is definitely not for the faint-hearted! If you have an aversion to ripping or tearing your precious papers, then this may be a challenge too far - because we're asking you to feature

Paper Tearing

As someone who rarely rips paper, (except in frustration!), I decided to opt for the 'controlled tear' by using a ruler specifically designed for the purpose of creating a torn edge. Here are some examples of the different patterns available.

Having cut a piece of decorative paper, slightly smaller than the panel of silver mirri card I wanted to use, I then set to 'doing the dirty deed'.
Placing the ruler at an angle on top ... I lifted a corner of the paper between thumb and forefinger ... gritted my teeth ... squeezed my eyes shut ... and slowly pulled it towards myself. I then altered the angle of the ruler and did it again ... and then again!
I have to say it was surprisingly good fun and nowhere near as traumatic as I'd imagined!

The edges were inked with Brilliance Dew Drop Ink - Pearl Orchid and then glued to the silver mirri mat, which was in turn, adhered to the front of an 8" x 8" white card blank. The surplus card front was removed to create a cut-away card.
Using the new Swirly Tree embossing folder from Papermania with some silver mirri card, I ran it through the Cuttlebug and then added some sparkle by spreading 'Aqua', 'Cotton Candy' and 'Star Dust' Stickles onto the stars. After cutting around it with decorative scissors, silicon glue was used to attach it to the card front and a pretty pink bow fills the gap at the bottom.

Inside I glued a narrow strip of snowflake paper to some silver mirri card leaving a narrow border and added a greeting with a brad to punched circles before placing it in the middle of the panel.

A leftover square of snowflake embossed card from another project was torn along the diagonal and inked up to provide a touch of interest to the corners.
Across at In 2 Crafting, the monthly challenge is Christmas In July so this will be my entry and if you'd also like to play along, the closing date isn't until 14th August.
The other Bah! Humbug! DT members have been busy ripping and tearing their papers too ... some with more enthusiasm than others it must be said! ... but all have achieved super results. Pop over and have a look for yourself and if you're feeling brave enough, please join in with our challenge. While you're there, please don't forget to say 'Goodbye and Thank You' to Debs, who has been our amazing Guest Designer for July, providing us all with a Santa Sackload of fabulous inspiration throughout her stay. We will all miss her dearly but hopefully she will continue to join us regularly for our remaing 2010 challenges.

Blog Candy Alert

2010-07-29T15:46:00.000+01:00

Rach's Blog Candy

Rach is offering some really sweet candy on her blog ... in actual fact there are 2 separate ones up for grabs! ... both are open until 4th August so hop over there and leave your link. You know you want to.

Birthday Books

2010-07-27T00:46:00.001+01:00

A possible way to ensure the Bind-It-All I recently bought earns it's keep, is to make and sell Birthday Books or Journals. Obviously there would need to be careful selection of any images used so as to comply with individual artist's Terms of Use but that's something that has to be considered for any product you intend to sell.

A birthday book, in particular, is a very handy item to have sitting on your desk as a reminder of all the special annual celebrations you would hate to miss ... or maybe that should say daren't miss ... AND unlike a diary or calendar, it doesn't need to be replaced or rewritten every year.

You simply update it whenever there's a new birthday or anniversary to remember ... much simpler don't you think?

Obviously, the nicest thing of all is that they can be personalised to an individual's taste so would make a perfect gift with a practical use.
It's definitely something I will be considering as a possible way of funding my little hobby.

A Movie Star?

2010-07-25T00:10:00.000+01:00

Do you think this dapper chap looks like a movie star from the 50's or 60's? He reminds me of Cary Grant or Rock Hudson or another of the big movie legends of that era.

His name is Raymond, (apparently), and he's a Kanban decoupage design, (part of a QVC Art Deco card kit bought a while ago), and I'm absolutely convinced the 'Stars of the Silver Screen' had an influence on these designs.
I needed a birthday card for a lovely gentleman who celebrates his 78th birthday next week, so thought this image might make him smile.

The inside panel is stamped with a simple greeting and decorated with the extra decoupage elements from the sheet.

In complete contrast this rather vibrant card was made for my daughter's friend who celebrated her 15th birthday last week.

Doesn't need much explaining really does it?
... it's very pink
... has a gorgeous dramatic black flocked velvet design
... adhesive gems add a lorra' lorra' bling
... and a handbag charm is held in place with a gorgeous jewelled brad given to me by my good friend Ann.
What more does a young girl need I ask you?

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 28

2010-07-23T14:15:00.003+01:00

Are you are losing track of the days because of the holidays? Then let me tell you today is Friday ... which can mean only one thing!
That is that Bah Humbuggers everywhere are already up to their ears in glue and paper products, joining in this week's challenge.

Our theme this week is

A Christmas Scene

It was a 'no brainer' for me to head straight to last year's Christmas Patchwork Pals kit, safe in the knowledge that all the components would be readily available for me to make another easy card as I haven't got time, or the inclination, for complicated projects at the moment.
The most difficult and time-consuming decision to make was choosing which of the many super-cute die cut characters to use, eventually settling for this cute bear dragging his sled up the hill.

Then it was a simple case of cutting a section from the background design cardstock, adding some snowflake embossed mirri card strips and an acetate front panel before positioning the various character elements ... taking care to match up the front and back views either side of the acetate to hide the adhesive. Couldn't decide whether to add a bow or a snowflake embellishment in the top corner or not, so will leave that for now but may add something at a later date.

Nothing complicated ... a really quick result ... pain and mess free ... and another addition to the Christmas Cutie section of my 2010 card collection.
You must pop over to Bah! Humbug! yourself and have a look at the super cards Ann, Irene and our July Guest Designer Debs have created in the hope of inspiring you. If you feel like joining in we would love to see your results so remember to leave a link in our comment box and we will do our best to pop by and leave you a message.

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 26

2010-07-09T00:31:00.086+01:00

Another week has flown past in a blur but "Thank Crunchie It's Friday!" and time for another Bah! Humbug! Challenge. This week the theme is to make something for A Special Friend - hmmmm tricky huh?
I chose to make a cute card for my daughter to give to one of her best friends as my own Special Friends are prone to popping in here for a looksee and I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

The patterned papers are from last year's Daisy and Dandelion Christmas pad and are matted onto a combination of red cardstock and gold mirri card. The image is another cutie from Tubes by Amanda which was printed onto smooth white cardstock and cut around. I deliberately chose the penguin image as I wanted to check out the new Black Stickles bought last week. Guess what? I love them and I have a feeling they will be popular so had best stock up pretty darn quick I think.

I found them a little tricky to get flowing at first but persistent poking with a safety pin down the nozzle worked, along with a good shake to get the contents to the top. I used them on the sign lettering too which demonstrates how fine the tip is ... perfect for detailed areas.

Icicle Stickles were used on the fur trims and the snow which give a lovely pinkish sparkle which is a little hard to see in the photos. I finished with a lovely red and green double-sided sparkly ribbon tied around the fold and knotted near the top along with some letters matted onto oval nesties to spell 'FRIEND' for the inside panel.
The other Bah! Humbug! DT members including Debs from Pink Dandelion's Craft Space have some super cards to show you and we have also announced the winner of our Monthly Prize Draw so you'd better go and see if it's you.

I'm going away this weekend for a few days fun and frolicking with my family before hubby goes back to work, so won't be around blogland. I know you'll miss me ... bwhahahahaha ... but will do my best to fit in a few visits when I get back, although I may not get to everyone, so apologies in advance.
Hope you all enjoy a fabulous week, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Tea Party

2010-07-05T15:04:00.000+01:00

I rediscovered this cute Sugar Nellie stamp, showing Lola having a tea party with her teddy, when I was hunting for something else, so decided to ink her up and make a card using more of the DCWV Glitter papers as they were still lying on my desk. The Sugar Bowl Sketch Challenge 38 was used for the layout and I managed to include scallops which was an optional extra. The theme at Totally Stampalicious is 'Food' so I'll be entering there too.

She is coloured with Promarkers and then matted onto coordinating cardstock leaving a narrow border each time. A scalloped circle was punched from pale pink card and then embossed with dots whilst a smaller punch was used for the peel off greeting.

A couple of turquoise gem stars provide the accents in the corners and Diampnd Stickles add a hint of sparkle to her hair, the cupcakes and teddy's tummy.

Happy Wee Mousey

2010-07-03T13:07:00.003+01:00

This cute little mouse always makes me smile. She looks like she's received some wonderful news and is jumping for joy. Maybe it's a lottery win LOL?

She was coloured with Promarkers before being cut out and layered onto blue pearlised cardstock cut with Nestabilities. This was then popped, with silicon glue for added dimension, onto a card decorated with papers from DCWV Glitter Stack which was one of the half price purchases I bought online last week in a closing down sale at WhoopsaDaisy. I'm unable to post a link as sadly it doesn't exist any more - I hope it wasn't another casualty of the recession.

I also bought some black Stickles which I have tested out on the pebbles but I may need to be more generous next time for the proper effect.
I'll be submitting this card to the following challenges.
Crafter's Companion 2 - Sketch
Simon Says - Check It Out
Craftalicious 3 - Cute
Totally Papercrafts 23 - One For The Girlies
A Pocketful of Posies - One For The Girls
A Spoonful of Sugar 110 - Animal Crackers
Going to go and plant up the window boxes while the rain holds off but before I do just want to let you see the flowers that have bloomed on the Yucca in the garden. Aren't they amazing?!

Wishing you all enjoy a wonderful weekend, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 25 - Less Is More

2010-07-02T09:45:00.003+01:00

The 'Less Is More' theme at Bah! Humbug! was a piece of perfect timing as I had left it to the last minute and could only manage a simple card this week.

Out came the Cuttlebug and a few seconds later I had embossed this wonderful silver holographic mirri card with a line of trees, ready to trim and mat onto blue card. A long strip of the same holographic card was embossed with swiss dots, wrapped with blue ribbon and placed onto a DL card blank before adding a siver peel off greeting and the embossed trees.
That's it! Nothing else to it. Job Done!

Don't you just love how this card changes colour with the light? Reminds me of the Northern Lights.
Debs from Pink Dandelion's Craft Space is joining us as Guest Designer for July so you must drop by and see her debut card, as well as Ann and Irene's DT samples. Also, as it is the first challenge of the month, there is our usual Prize Draw this week, so be sure to get your entries in and give yourself a chance of being selected as our random winner. Looking forward to seeing you there.
I'm slipping this card in at the last minute for Die Cut Dreams Challenge 24 - Arctic Winter before the deadline of noon and also submitting it to ABC Christmas Challenges - 'N' is for Noel as they are looking for any card with a Christmas theme.

Butterfly Beauty

2010-07-01T21:18:00.007+01:00

Just a quick post to show the card I sent to my Bah! Humbugger buddy Ann for her birthday yesterday. The stamp is a really pretty Butterfly Fairy from a set by the well known artist Ruth Morehead, whose cutesy images are instantly recognisable worldwide. I had no idea that any of her images were available as stamps so I just had to snap up this set and couldn't wait to get home to have a play.

She was coloured with Promarkers and sprayed with Crafter's Companion Iridescent Spray and Sparkle, before being cut with the largest size Nestablilties Labels One die. This spray glitter gives the most gorgeous sparkle effect I have seen for minimum effort - just make sure you either go outside or spray it into an old shoebox as it is a little bit whiffy at first and would probably go everywhere if not contained. If you click the image below for an enlarged view you will see how sparkly she really is.

I had to draw an outline onto textured blue and pink card, around the outside edge of the label one die shape, to get the larger shapes I needed for matting and these were cut with scissors. As you see I used scalloped scissors for the pink layer and turned it 90 degrees before adding some adhesive pearls for decoration.
The beautiful pink silk damask background card was placed onto an 8" square card blank and I matched it with some pretty blue floral paper from My Mind's Eye Pretty Please pad. A couple of clusters of paper roses in diagonally opposite corners, along with a strip of pretty pink ribbon and a stamped sentiment, provide the finishing touches.

The decoration inside uses the last remnants of the silk cardstock matted onto blue textured card and pink ribbon conceals the joins.
I went on to use my Bind-It-All to make a slim Birthday Book from textured cardstock in similar colours for Ann to keep a track of those all-important dates that come around so quickly.

I did add a friendship sentiment below the ribbon before posting it as it looked a little bare but unfortunately, I didn't have time to take more photo's.
Now ... I wonder if they are eligible for any challenges. Had a look at Challenge Mania and they seem to fit the bill for these challenges.
Flutterby Wednesday - Fluttery Creations
(just a taster before the official return on 7th July)
Crafts and Me 7 - Birthdays
Pollycraft - Pinkalicious

Tomorrow is Bah! Humbug! Challenge Day ... and we have a brand new Guest Designer for you, as well as our Monthly Prize Draw ... so make sure you don't miss it.

*****

Like many other parents of school age children, my posts may be rather infrequent during the School Summer Holidays, especially if the weather is kind, when we will hopefully be out and about having fun and spending time together as a family. I will keep up with things at Bah! Humbug! if nothing else so I'm not disappearing completely and will be popping by to leave comments as much as possible but everything else will be 'hit'n'miss.
Hope you all understand and thank you in advance for your patience.

*****

Elegance and Fairy Sparkle

2010-06-30T04:36:00.003+01:00

It's my mum's birthday today so we will be popping round later to deliver her cards and presents. My Mum hates fuss and as such, gets increasingly difficult to buy for, as every year all she ever asks for is a nice card. Hopefully I have achieved that for her at least.
I relied once again on a Kanban kit for the gorgeous metallic purple embossed card which is ohhhhhh soooooooo elegant but being highly reflective makes photographing it quite a challenge. I used some pearlised lilac card, embossed on the Cuttlebug with Swiss Dots, as a contrast for the central panel and all layers, including the greeting, were matted onto silver mirri card for an extra touch of luxury.

Despite a thorough rummage through my stash, I couldn't find matching ribbon but solved the problem by colouring some white satin ribbon with an Amethyst Promarker. A flourish of white feathers combined with a string of pretty holographic pearls add a nice embellishment behind the bow. This close up shows the richness of the purple much better than the wider shots. Isn't it lush?

The final strip of metallic embossed card from the A4 sheet was matted onto silver mirri and used to decorate inside the card.

A floral border was embossed into the lilac pearlised message panel before matting onto more silver mirri and placing it centrally, overlapping the darker panel. Believe me that nothing short of a hurricane will blow it over!
Crafty Ann's Challenge 17 is Embossing, so I will submit this card as there's plenty of embossing all over this one.

I have been trying to buy the LOTV Tiptoe Fairy stamp from their online shop for several weeks but it's always out of stock whenever I visit. I was beginning to think there was some kind of conspiracy going on and resigned myself to not owning one. But my friend and fellow Bah! Humbugger! Ann managed to snaffle one for me when she visited the Dome last weekend ... thanks Ann xx ... sending it by super fast pigeon express to arrive yesterday afternoon in a flurry of feathers. Whoo Hoo! I inked her up straight away and made this card for the children to give to their Nan for her birthday.

She is coloured with Promarkers ... think I am finally getting the hang of them at long last ... and matted onto some lovely background papers from My Mind's Eye "Pretty Please" pad. Aren't these colour combinations fabulous? There was just enough of the floral paper left over to decorate inside with a strip down the edge.

All fairies MUST have sparkle so this was added in the form of Stickles Diamond Glitter on her wings, her dress, her shoes and a wee flitter over the flowers. A pretty bow and a few coordinating buttons add the finishing touch.

As I followed the sketch design by Dawny P at LOTV Challenge, this sweet little card is eligible for submission this week. This will be a first entry for me at one of their challenges and if I'm lucky in the random draw, then I may increase my fledgling collection of LOTV stamps - which currently stands at a grand total of ... ONE!
It is also eligible for Magical Crafts 18 - Flower Power and A Pocket Full of Posies 1 - One For The Girls which is a brand new fortnightly challenge blog for lovers of flowers. I think that most crafters can be included there then so it is going to be popular.

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 24 - Santa

2010-06-25T10:06:00.002+01:00

Friday has rolled around again all too quickly ... for me at least. But on a good note this means it's Bah! Humbug! Challenge day and this week the topic is

Father Christmas/Santa

Once again the DT have all managed to come up with something to tickle your creative tastebuds and we look forward to you joining in with us with your interpretations of our challenge.
Using the Kenny K image last weekend reminded me that I have a gazillion folders on my PC filled to overflowing with wonderful PSP tubes that were originally used to make siggies and tags in the days when I dabbled with PSP. Whilst many artists current Terms of Use don't permit hard copies to be printed, or require you to purchase a license to use, this is not the case for them all.
So I spent some time flicking through and rediscovered plenty of old favourites including this cute Santa from Tubes By Amanda.

I opened the tube in PSP and then copied and mirrored it, floodfilling the reversed one to remove the text before printing. He looks a little washed out in my photo but that is down to my (lack of) photographic skills and is actually much brighter in real life.
After cutting them out I drew around one onto a folded sheet of gold glitter card and then cut around the outline to make a shaped card.

Then it was a simple case of adding some stripey paper from my scrap box and a few embellishments like the jingly bell and recycled ribbons.

Inside is the reversed image, perfect for a message, and luckily there was just enough paper left to decorate the inside back so it isn't too boring.
The Challenge Mania Blog helped me to quickly find some other challenges for which this little card may be suitable and they are ...
Fab's Big Christmas Card Challenge - Stitched Ribbon and Toppers
My Time To Craft - Yuletide in June
ABC Challenge - X-tra Dimension
Cute Card Thursday - Reuse, Renew, Recycle

A 'Par-Fect' Day

2010-06-24T18:26:00.005+01:00

Forgot to show the card I made for my dad for Father's Day using this free funky image from Kenny Kiernan, who was a much loved artist from my PSP (Paint Shop Pro) days. As he is an avid golfer this guy was the PAR-fect choice ... tee hee.
He was coloured with Promarkers and matted onto several layers of card and background papers from my stash. The sentiment was computer generated and popped onto a scalloped circle decorated with white gel pen.

There is a brand new Kenny K's Krafty Girls Challenge Blog due to begin in July and they are looking for DT members if anyone is interested but submissions must be in by 26th June so you'll have to hurry!
Thanks to my very dear friend Ann, it was easy to find several challenges looking for male themed projects.
Can you believe she updates her new Challenge Mania Blog listing all the current challenges and updates them EVERY DAY? You should check it out!
I decided to enter a few ...
Charisma Cardz 25 - One For The Boys
Magical Crafts 17 - Male/Father's Day
One Stop Craft Challenge 85 - One For The Boys

It's Bah! Humbug! Day tomorrow ... wow! ... 2 posts in 2 days!
Whatever next ? LOL!

Bah! Humbug! 23 - A Child's Christmas

2010-06-18T14:40:00.002+01:00

Hooray!
We have internet again which means I can now share my DT samples for Bah! Humbug's! latest challenge ...

A Child's Christmas

I decided to make a duo of cards using this ultra cute penguin trio from Serendipity Stamps - a pink version and a blue version.

The little girly one is an easel card using lovely papers from DCWV Christmas Stack. Both images were coloured with Promarkers and then embossed with holographic powder for added sparkle before adding some adhesive gems and stars.

The boy's card was dry embossed top and bottom on the Cuttlebug using a snowflake folder and I scored 2 lines to create a central panel for the snowflake paper from Anita's Christmas Blue Collection then added the cute penguins.

All I have to do now is add some greetings, but as I intend to personalise them with glittery letters I will do that prior to posting in December.
There are more lovely examples to see over on the Bah! Humbug! Challenge blog, so do pop over for a looksee - it will definitely be worth your while and may even provoke you into joining in, which would be wonderful as we love it when you share your ideas too.

Birthday Boy

2010-06-15T14:36:00.000+01:00

My son Niall celebrated his 20th birthday yesterday and as a die hard Nintendo fan, it was a total 'no brainer' to use an image from their latest game release for his card.
Starting with an 8" x 8" card blank, I used primary coloured papers and layered up various panels ... with a little help from the cuttlebug for a touch of texture. The greeting was a self adhesive sticker stuck onto a punched scallop circle and layered onto graduated Nestabilities Stars.

The inner sentiment was a little play on words, (relating to the actual game), and in hindsight, should probably have been printed rather than hand written, but gold peel off letters help to brighten it up a bit and improve the look.

Needless to say he was delighted with my efforts and rewarded me with a huge hug of thanks. Tell me ... What more does a mother need?
The card I made for Naomi to give him was created using a glittery wizard decoupage image, which was trimmed with decorative scissors and mounted onto foam pads.

It was teamed with the most gorgeous patterned paper, given to me by my fellow Bah Humbugger Ann, who kindly sent Niall a really fun froggy card with googly eyes, (posted HERE on her blog), and a gift of silicon cake moulds, which were a lovely surprise to him and very much appreciated.   He can't wait to get back to Edinburgh now to test them out!
Hmmmmm ... Wonder if we'll be allowed to sample the results?
This paper has a wonderfully luxurious look, feeling almost like expensive wallpaper, and has the most amazing silky sheen.   For that reason the remaining sheets will probably only be used for those extra-special cards for extra-special people ... and maybe not even then!
I may just stroke it and put it away again ... Trust me! ... that's what we crafters do!

Trio of Cards

2010-06-12T14:32:00.000+01:00

I admit to not being the most organised person in the world and often get frustrated when I look at the mess I create after making just a single card that has taken hours to come together.
I pull things out from hither and thither, opening drawers and dragging out boxes of 'stuff' all over the place, wasting endless hours hunting for bits'n'bobs I think I need to use, only to have to put them all away again because they weren't what I wanted after all.
Last night I challenged myself to see what I could do using limited supplies and just a single sheet of 12" x 12" paper. The objectives were to, hopefully
* reduce what goes into the scrap box,
(never to be seen again)
and
* improve my craft time-management skills.
So I took one sheet of Celebrate Star double-sided paper from a 3 Bugs in a Rug collection, along with the matching stickers, mini brads etc. and set to work.

It wasn't easy to resist the urge to go raking but I was determined to stick to the limits of the kit and soon got into the swing of things producing this trio of simple cards - perfect additions to the 'Grab'n'Go' box.

AND ... there was even enough left over to add a little to the insides too!

By doing this little experiment, I have proven to myself several things.
*I can work with limited supplies and still produce something acceptable
*There is little, to no, waste heading for the scrap box
*Creating 3 cards in the same time as it usually takes for 1 is much more efficient
*There is hardly any mess to clear up afterwards - whoo hoo!
All good positive points.
Now I'm not suggesting for one second that I have reformed my messy habits ... that would be too much to ask ... but at least I now know there is an alternative and I CAN be more efficient when I try, so mission accomplished.

Challenge 22 - Anything Goes

2010-06-11T10:56:00.000+01:00

It's been a funny old week 'cos I've been really busy but have done nothing, if you know what I mean?   Maybe the school's being closed 3 days for in service days and local public holiday had something to do with that but it's really strange when that happens.
One thing I do have to show is this card created for our Bah! Humbug! Challenge which this week is 'Anything Goes' and I'm afraid it's another easy peasy card made from a Kanban kit.
I took an A4 sheet of black card and folded it to make a z-fold card blank. Then it was a simple case of trimming the gorgeous pink embossed card slightly smaller than each panel ... matting onto silver mirri card ... adding strips of message ribbon top and bottom and adhering it all in place.

I stamped and embossed the Papermania ornamental bauble onto black card and then cut it with a Nellie Snellen Rectangle Frame die.
The stamp was too large even for the largest frame but I was able to extend it by following this recent tutorial posted over at Ikkle's Cuttlebug Cupboard. If you own a Cuttlebug but you've never visited this blog then you really should try to as she shares some fantastic ideas and has written some great tutorials.

This was then matted onto a panel of pale pink card ... can you see it through the holes? ... and a pink spotty ribbon bow was added. A few dots of pink glitter were randomly dabbed on the stamped ornament and small circles, left over from silver chain border peel offs, were popped around the decorative edge before mounting it with double-sided tape onto pink embossed card and then matted to black card. This panel was then mounted onto the front of the finished card, overlapping the card edge.
Sorry it wasn't more exciting this week ... but don't worry because my fellow Bah! Humbug! DT members have been much more creative and their shares include a beautiful project from our Special Guest Designer Claire ... so plenty to get your creative juices going. While you're there you can find out who was the lucky winner of our June Prize Draw ... but cover your ears 'cos she screams! ... LOUDLY!
Hope you all enjoy a Fabulous Friday ... wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Dino-Magic

2010-06-04T23:25:00.000+01:00

I was 'clickitty-clicking' around the net the other evening ... as you do ... and stumbled across some really cute images available to download for free.
Yes ... FREE ... every crafter's favourite word!
They belong to Elizabeth O. Dulemna who is an author/illustrator of children's books and she offers her images for free provided the conditions of her Angel Policy are followed. CLICK HERE to read the details and then follow the links to check out her lovely cute characters.
This afternoon I sat out in the glorious sunshine, armed with a mug of coffee, a box of Promarkers and a sheet of images downloaded from Elizabeth O. Dulemba's free colouring pages. The time just sped past and I was lost in my own little world of colouring bliss.
After dinner I came upstairs and made 2 cards using this ultra-cute book-reading dinosaur image.

Isn't he absolutely adorable? He's coloured with Promarkers and matted onto patterned papers from the Forest Friends Kit which I was lucky enough to win in a recent Creative Cottage Challenge.
It just so happens that their challenge this week is Father's Day and they have a June Freebie which is perfect for this occasion ... I have used one of the circle sentiments ... so hop over and snag it while it's available.
The other version is a birthday card and it fits in with the Simon Says Challenge and For Fun Challenges as they're both asking for 'Male-themed' projects.

I have added some 'faux stitching' which follows the theme set at The Res-Q-Challenge and Books are the hot topic at Passion For Promarkers.
Finally, Stamp Something are having their first Digi-Day Challenge and have lots of prizes on offer so if you are a 'digi-fan' then you MUST check them out for sure.
Our sweet Naomi is due home shortly after enjoying a school trip at Alton Towers Theme Park - lucky spud. Wonder if she braved the new ride TH13teen? GULP!
She'll be absolutely shattered when she gets in after all that lovely sunshine and excitement ... not to mention an 8 hour journey in a stuffy coach - Bleurgh.! Can't wait to hear all about it.
Hope you all enjoy a wonderful weekend, with plenty of sunshine, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 21 - Acetate

2010-06-04T11:51:00.010+01:00

Not sure what happened to my scheduled post ... it's disappeared! ... completely gone! ... 'vamoosh vanished! It was there yesterday but ... now ... it's not. Very strange. However ... here's another version of what I wrote ... the bits I can remember anyway.

The 1st challenge of the month is always exciting over at Bah! Humbug! because we have a wee Prize Draw for you and have recently started featuring a Monthly Special Guest Designer. Our lady for June is ready to wow you with her creative wonderfulness - and you'd better prepare to be 'wowed' this week let me tell you!
Welcome to the team
Claire : Claire's Crafty Creations
This week's challenge to use acetate had me slightly concerned as it's not something I use very often. I love to see what others do with it and promise myself to try some of the fabulous techniques I've seen, but somehow my efforts never quite make the grade. So in light of that I decided not to get above myself and stick to basics.
I took a sheet of the gorgeous foiled acetate, which was included in the birthday box of goodies I received from Ann when we were in York - thanks big muchness Ann xxx I trimmed and folded it to a DL size card and added panels of black card inside and outside, placing them so that the stamped image on the front hides the message panel inside when it is closed. Are you with me?
Tied a narrow gold ribbon down the fold for decoration and black adhesive gems in the corners ... voila! DONE!

The stamp is one of the Secret Christmas Set from Waltzing Mouse Stamps which was available for a limited time last year ... I have e-mailed Claire to ask if it is still available and will let you know if she gets back to me.

**The answer is YES!**
Thanks for the quick response Claire.

It was simply stamped onto black card, embossed with gold embossing powder, matted to a slightly larger piece of gold mirri and then adhered to the front with double-sided tape.

A slightly larger panel of black card was stuck directly behind this on the inside, which cleverly hides all the sticky stuff. The same thing was done with the message panel inside. Not very adventurous I know but quite a nice card all the same.
If you'd prefer to see something MUCH more adventurous, then you need go no further than check out what the other Bah! Humbuggers! have been doing with their acetate - you will not be disappointed!

Think I may go and enjoy the sun for a while now that the washing is out on the line - might take the Promarkers with me.

Blooming June ...

2010-06-01T17:32:00.000+01:00

... and it's tipping down! Typical!
Have got loads'a' birthdays and other celebrations, including Father's Day, this month which means loads'a' cards to make so here are a couple of today's efforts to kick things off.

The first is for a special friend whose birthday is in a couple of weeks time.

An 'Elegant Ladies' Kanban kit from QVC provided everything needed for this large A4 card except for the inside decoration, where I used some K. and Co. papers matted onto gold mirri card for the decoration and a FunStamps Happy Birthday Wish greeting.

The smaller ... and much cuter ... card below was inspired by Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 22 which requires entrants to combine our least and most favourite colours. Hmmmmm ... might be some unusual colour combinations for this one!
Actually, there aren't really any colours I don't like but I chose ORANGE as my least favourite option simply because I very rarely use it. Obviously BLACK was my most favourite choice. YES ... I know it is a contrast not a colour, but the challenge rules say it can be included ... PHEW!

The cute little characters are from Penny Black 'Hugs' set and are coloured with Promarkers ... as are the roses which started life a bland cream colour until I attacked them with vanilla and bright orange.
The zingy orange/yellowy papers are Papermania Sunshine Collection which have been cut with Spellbinder Nestabilities and matted onto black card. You'll just have to trust me that they are much brighter in real life as the photo doesn't show how vibrant they are - it is really dull and rainy here today and my camera skills leave a lot to be desired so probably that explains that.
The layout follows the Pixie Cottage Challenge 20 - Sketch and using buttons and flowers allows me to enter Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge 85 - Buttons and Blooms too. Hopefully the weather will improve as the month progresses and we will experience some 'Summer Delights', which is the theme at Cupcake Craft Challenges 93 this week so am going to sneak in there too.
So ... 'til the next time, take care and hope you have all enjoy a Terrific Tuesday, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Debbie Moore Stamps Winner

2010-05-31T10:02:00.001+01:00

Thanks to those who shared your fond childhood Christmas memories.

Your names went in the hat and the first one drawn

to win these Debbie Moore Noel Silhouette Stamps is

Clarky J

Please e-mail : maxinelawson@hotmail.co.uk

with your snail mail details and I shall get them in the post to you ASAP.

Quick and Easy Elegance

2010-05-30T12:59:00.004+01:00

Today is my sister-in-law's birthday and the card I made for her uses a QVC Kanban kit bought earlier this year. The quality of these kits is second to none, and the contents include highly reflective, metallic embossed cardstock in various beautiful colours, matching glittered acetate, ribbons, toppers and frames. The only thing missing was a pack of envelopes, but as plain white A5 envelopes are readily available in all supermarkets and stationers it's only a little niggle and not worth making a fuss about.

Whilst I feel slightly extravagant having used a whole A4 sheet folded in half for the base card, I must admit it makes a very elegant and expensive looking card. Just check out the reflective finish ... it's blinding!

The matching toppers and frames are just as beautifully embossed as the cardstock so a few foam pads are all that's needed to complete a gorgeous card.
Quick ... Easy ... and Oh So Elegant.
Hopefully my card qualifies for the following challenges ...
Totally Papercrafts 18 - Monochromatic
My Time To Craft 93 - Vivid Greetings Cards
A Spoonful of Sugar 105 - Celebrations
Tanda Stamps - Go Large

Willow Shopping

2010-05-29T14:44:00.002+01:00

Well organised Willow, has already started her Christmas shopping and as you see, it looks like she has a very healthy spending habit - definitely my kind've girl! She was one of 3 lovely Whiff of Joy Willow stamps I recently won - how lucky am I? At least ... I'm pretty sure she's a Whiff of Joy stamp.

Quick Question:

Does anyone else get mixed up over which of Elizabeth Bell's stamps are Whiff of Joy, Sugar Nellie, and Belles and Whistles or am I the only numpty? I tend to avoid joining in with any of their blog challenges in case I use the wrong image. How do you tell which is which?

Anyway ... I stamped Willow using Memento black ink and then paper-pieced her clothes and shopping bags before using Sakura glitter pens for the tissue paper.
Promarkers were used to colour her hair, skin and boots before adding an adhesive gem to her necklace for a little bitta' bling.

The square card blank was cut diagonally down the front and then papers from English Paper Company were cut to match the triangle shapes, matted onto textured cardstock leaving a narrow border and then added to the main card with double-sided tape.
The poinsettia flower was created by cutting simple petal shapes from red card and folding them in half before sticking onto a gold snowflake embellishment and adding some amber adhesive gems.
Willow is going to be submitted into the following challenges ...
Passion for Promarkers 53 - Anything Goes
Fab's Big Christmas Card Challenge 21 - Poinsettia and Diagonal Cut/Modern

Bah! Humbug! 20 - Silhouettes

2010-05-28T09:30:00.009+01:00

Simple Silhouettes is our challenge for you this week at Bah! Humbug! I have always loved silhouettes and remember having fun as a child making shadow shapes on the bedroom wall with a torch and my hands.
When I went looking for a stamp for my card this week, I was pleased to see I have accumulated several sets of Christmas silhouette stamps over the last year or so, which meant I had plenty to choose from - the only difficulty was deciding which one to use.
Finally, I settled on this lovely image of Santa and his reindeer flying across the sky which is from a set by Debbie Moore Designs.

The line of trees below was embossed straight onto the card front using one of the embossing folders bought as a set from Oh My Crafts several months ago. I do believe they are now available elsewhere so are no longer exclusive.
Adding some holographic embossing powder gives a touch of sparkle to some of the trees, which unfortunately isn't really showing in this photo.
Santa and the greeting, (from the same set of stamps), were stamped with black pigment ink and then cut with Oval Nestabilities before being treated to some holographic sparkle and matted onto a Scalloped Oval cut from black card given the same treatment.
Oh Yesssssssss ... we are sparkling good style!
The card should've been completed at this stage but I felt it needed something else ... and yes you've guessed ... MORE SPARKLE!

A leftover strip of black card was cut with scalloped edged trimmer blade and then embossed within an inch of it's life, before being folded in half and attached down the fold. Now I'm a happy bunny!
I just realised that Winter Wonderland Challenge this week is to use images or colours of "Christmas Sweets" so will enter this Mint Humbug colour combination of black and white and will take my chances at the following challenges too ...
PaperPlay Challenges - Up In The Air
Cute Card Thursday - No Designer Papers
Delightful Sketches and Challenges - Texture

***Pssssssssttttt ...***

Just before you disappear to see what my fellow "Bah! Humbugger! Buddies" have been up to, leave a message in the comment box relating

a fond childhood Christmas memory

and I will select one person to win a set of the

Debbie Moore Silhouette Stamps

YEP! I have somehow acquired 2 sets ... whoops!

That's just plain greedy!

You don't need to do anything else ... no linking back ... no blog candy posts on your blog ... no jumping through hoops or doing double somersaults ...

Just leave me a memory message

before midnight on Sunday 30th May - UK time

and your name will go into the draw.

Good Luck!

Winner will be announced on Monday

***

Max's Craft Creations

***FESTIVE FUN FOR EVERYONE***

Bah Humbug! Challenge 45

Condensing

Bah Humbug! Challenge 37

Sweet Dreams David xxx

9/11 - We Will Never Forget

Bah! Humbug Challenge 36

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 35

**Good Luck Scottish Juniors**

Congratulations Naomi

**Our Naomi - Sweet 16 **

Whoops'a'Daisy

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 28

Bah Humbug! Challenge 27

Bah Humbug! Challenge 26

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 25

Bah! Humbug! 23 ... "Whateva!"

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 22

Bah Humbug Challenge 21

Strong Winds and Sparkles

Bah! Humbug! #20

Bah! Humbug! #19

Bah! Humbug! #18

Apologies

Bah! Humbug! #16

Bah! Humbug! #15

Thank You

Bah! Humbug! #2

2011 Bah! Humbug! # 1

** HAPPY NEW YEAR DEAR FRIENDS **

Oh Poop!

School's Out - It's Snowing!

Bah Humbug Blues

Bah! Humbug! 45

Bah! Humbug! 44

Birthday Princess

WMS - Tag Challenge

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 43

Sugar Nellie Sneaky Peek

Bah! Humbug! 42

Bah! Humbug! 41

Bah! Humbug! 40

Happy Birthday Dad

Bah! Humbug! 39

A Fairy Happy Birthday

**Anniversary Hugs**

Bah! Humbug! 37 - Stars

Bah! Humbug! 36

9/11 - We Will Never Forget

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 35

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 34

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 33

Snowflake ...

Bah! Humbug! - Challenge 32

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 31

New Arrival

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 30

**Happy Birthday Naomi**

Get Well Soon

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 29

** Blog Candy Alert **

Birthday Books

A Movie Star?

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 28

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 26

Tea Party

Happy Wee Mousey

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 25 - Less Is More

Butterfly Beauty

Elegance and Fairy Sparkle

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 24 - Santa

A 'Par-Fect' Day

Bah! Humbug! 23 - A Child's Christmas

Birthday Boy

Trio of Cards

Challenge 22 - Anything Goes

Dino-Magic

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 21 - Acetate

Blooming June ...

FESTIVE FUN FOR EVERYONE

Good Luck Scottish Juniors

Our Naomi - Sweet 16

HAPPY NEW YEAR DEAR FRIENDS

Anniversary Hugs

Happy Birthday Naomi

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