Birthdays galore!!

Hello All! Sunday already, and a weekend with two birthdays! My Mum-in-law's was on Friday, and my Sister-in-law is today! Plenty of scope for birthday cards, and I always get such lovely feedback from them about my cards, so I really love making them!

Today's card is the first one for my Mum-in-law...

What I have used:

Sketch - Freshly Made Sketches

Sentiment - Lili of the Valley

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Freshly Made Sketches - Sketch 105

Crazy 4 Challenges - Bows

Just add ink - Just add bows

Thank you for stopping by, hope everyone has had a lovely weekend!

Love and light

Claire xx

Autumn in the Air

Morning everyone! Well, three days in and all seems to be going well with Nadine on the uni front! She has met her tutor, found out that they have Fridays off, and is really excited about starting her course properly next Monday! Fingers crossed she stays as positive as what she is now!

It's Tuesday again, which means another fab sketch and challenge at Try Stampin' on Tuesday! Our theme this week is 'Autumn in the Air', and this is our sketch...

And this is what I made...

What I have used:

Papers - BoBunny

Sentiment - BoBunny

Leaves - Tim Holtz

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Pile it on - Cool or Warm colours

Crafty Sentiments - Fall/Autumn colours

Rogue Redhead - Autumn colours

Thank you for having a look, and please remember to pop over to Try Stampin' on Tuesday to have a look at the other creations and link up your entry!

Love and light

Claire xx

Autumn

Hello again everyone! I'm back again with my post for Dream Valley Challenges, and this time we would like to see your Autumn cards! We are being sponsored by The Paper Shelter, and the winner will receive a $20 gift voucher!

I have used some beautiful papers from BoBunny for the background on my card...

What I have used:

Papers - BoBunny

Leaves - Tim Holtz die

Sentiment - Woodware

Lace - Hobby House

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Sugar Creek Hollow - Fall is in the air

Aud Sentiments - Autumn

Milk Coffee - Fabulous Fall Colours

Seize the sketch - Sketch 4

Thank you for stopping by, hope to see you again soon!

Love and light

Claire xx

For a Boy!

Morning everyone! Sunday again, so time for two more challenges to play along with! This is my card for Eclectic Ellapu and Dream Valley Challenges will be the post above!

Well, it was the big move down to Bath Spa University for Nadine yesterday! It was all so well organised when we got there, I was really impressed! Her room is small, tiny in fact, but once we got all her stuff in it looked okay! I did the typical mum thing and cried when we left, but I am so proud of her and all she has achieved to get there!

Right, enough blabbing, and on to my first card! Sheena is hosting the challenge at Eclectic Ellapu this week, and she has chosen 'For a Boy' theme. I chose to go down the baby route, as I don't have one for my stash!

What I have used:

Sentiment - Lili of the Valley

Banners - Joy crafts

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Card Makin Mamas - For the kids

Jellypark Friends - The sentiment is the key

Totally Papercrafts - Happy birthday Baby

Thank you for having a look, and please remember to pop over to Eclectic Ellapu to see what the other DT members have created and to link up your entry to our challenge! I will be back in a bit for my Dream Valley Challenge post!

Love and light

Claire xx

Mid-challenge reminder!!

Morning All! It's mid-challenge at Simply Create Too for our 'Bugs, no butterflies' challenge, and my card is on the post today! To see my card and what I did please click here and it will take you to my original post last Friday, or you can simply scroll down a few posts!!

I can't believe how quickly the time has flown - moving day for Nadine is tomorrow! The going to uni pile is getting bigger, so dreading packing the car in the morning!

Today's card is one I made a while ago, and the photo has been in my waiting to publish folder, so I decided it was time to come out! I love using this sentiment, as it can be used on so many different cards for so many different things! It's very simple, but I think very effective...

What I have used:

Hearts - Xcut dies

Gears embossing folder

Sentiment - Penny Black

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

As you like it - Favourite sentiment and why (can be used for anyone anytime but is still very personal)

Love to Create - Clean n Simple

Thank you for having a look, and please remember to pop over to Simply Create Too and link up your card - remember, no butterflies!!

Love and light

Claire xx

Try Stampin' Challenge

Morning Friends! Tuesday morning, so that means another fantastic sketch and challenge over at Try Stampin' on Tuesday!

This week, along with the sketch, our theme is 'Summer's last hoorah'. This can be interpreted in many ways, and this is what I did...

What I have used:

Sentiment - Lili of the Valley

Flowers - Marianne dies

Leaves - Joy Crafts

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Pumpkin Spice - Hope **WINNER**

A Creative Romance - Dies or Punches

Paper Crafting Journey - Flowers

Thank you for stopping by, and please pop by Try Stampin' to see what the rest of the DT created, and of course to link up your card!

See you soon!

Love and light

Claire xx

Changing Seasons...

Morning everyone! Sunday morning, and it's really quiet in our house! I think it's practice for next week when Nadine won't be here anymore :(

Oh well! Time for another card, and this one also made it's way to South Africa, for Nadine and Johnathan's Granny. I sometimes do find it easier to make cards without images on them, and love using the sentiment as the main focal point, and as we are heading into Autumn, my mood is changing with regards to the colours I am using on cards...

What I have used:

Sentiments - Woodware

Brads - Hobby House

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Chocolate, Coffee and Cards - Anything Goes

Daring Cardmakers - Signature style

Scrapping 4 Fun - Create a Card

Thank you for stopping by, and hopefully see you on Tuesday for another challenge...

Love and light

Claire xx

Bugs at Simply Create Too!!

Morning Everyone! Friday again, definitely not complaining, last little bit until the weekend!

It's time for another challenge over at Simply Create Too, and for this challenge we would like to see Bugs on your cards, but there's a twist - no butterflies!! This card is a birthday card for Graham's Uncle and Godfather who lives on a farm in Devon. He is an avid wildlife fan, so I thought the dragonfly was really appropriate! My card won't actually be on the blog until next Friday for the mid challenge post, but here it is anyway...

What I have used:

Dragonfly - Stampendous

Sentiments - Lili of the Valley and BoBunny

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Mojo Monday - Sketch 310

A Creative Romance - CAS Style cards

Frilly and Funkie - Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown - Anything Goes

Deep Ocean Challenge Blog - Goodbye Summer

Thank you for stopping by! Please pop over to Simply Create Too and see what the other talented ladies have created, and link your entry to our challenge!

Love and light

Claire xx

Try Stampin' Challenge

Hello Friends! Tuesday again, which means it's time for another challenge over at Try Stampin' on Tuesday! We have a fab sketch for you to follow, with a twist to use circles somewhere on your card...

I was at a demo at Sir Stampalot on Bank Holiday Monday and the lovely Chris and Lou were demoing, and Chris made a card using rosettes. Well, I had bought this die quite a while ago and think I only ever made one card with them, so inspiration struck when we had to use circles on our cards this week! This is what I created...

What I have used:

Sentiments - Lili of the Valley and BoBunny

Rosettes - Tim Holtz

Lace - Dovecrafts

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Our Creative Corner - Forgotten Things

4 Crafty Chicks - Lace

Penny's Paper Crafty - Spooled items

Thank you for stopping by, and please pop by the Try Stampin' blog and join in the challenge this week!

Love and light

Claire xx

Purple and Green

Hello again! My second post for the day, and this time it's for our latest challenge over at Dream Valley Challenges, and our prize is another surprise goody box!! We would like you to use the colours Purple and Green! I will admit I was a bit bemused when I started this, as it's a combination I don't really use, but I have rather enjoyed making this card.

I have used Marianne dies to make my flowers, and kept them all the same colour, so although they are all different, they all match! I really love these flowers, as they can look as elegant or as grungy as you like, depending on what card or paper you use to make them...

What I have used:

Flowers - handmade using Marianne dies

Leaves - Magnolia DooHickeys and Joy Crafts

Sentiment - Penny Black

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Sugar Creek Hollow - My Rose Garden

As you like it Challenge - Favourite Flowers or Trees (flowers are easy to make and always look fab!!)

Clearly iStamp - Thank You

Aud Sentiments - Any sentiment

Crafty Ribbons - Anything goes with ribbon

Thank you again for stopping by, please have a look at what the other girls have created at Dream Valley Challenges, and remember to enter the challenge!!

Love and light

Claire xx

And they call it Puppy Love!

Morning friends! Sunday again, so that means we have a new challenge at Eclectic Ellapu for you to join in with, but before that, we have some very exciting news!! It is coming up to our ONE year anniversary and we are going to celebrate with a 29 day treasure hunt. That means a prize everyday. The fuller details will be revealed a little later. Please snag the badge and place it on your profile, become a follower of Eclectic Ellapu and sit back and wait for the 1st of October - make a note of it on your diary but in the meantime keep popping back for the finer details of this HUGE giveaway - you won't be disappointed.

So, onto today's challenge! Our theme is 'And they call it Puppy Love', so we would like to see all those beloved pets making an appearance! Asha is hosting this week, and she would like to assure you that ALL pets are welcome, whether they have fur or scales or whether they bark, miaow or chirp!!

This is my card...

What I have used:

Image - Lili of the Valley

Sentiment - BoBunny

Coloured with Tim Holtz DMs

Papers - Raspberry Road freebies in magazine and Tim Holtz Coredinations

Brad - Hobby House

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Deconstructing Jen - Deconstructed Sketch 117

Crafty Little Fairies - Cute and Cuddly Critters

Alphabet Challenge - O One word sentiment

Thank you for taking a look, please pop over to Eclectic Ellapu to see what the othe lovely ladies on the DT have created!

I will be back a bit later with another post!

Love and light

Claire xx

We're going on a Bear Hunt!!

Morning everyone! Weekend at last after our first week back at school! Overall not bad, my new hours are working out well, and I now have more time for crafting, which is always good! The countdown has hit two weeks until Nadine leaves for uni - she is starting to get really excited about it all, and the 'taking to uni' pile is growing bigger!!

Well, as it's the first Saturday of the month, it means another challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenges! This month we are 'Going on a Bear Hunt', so we would like to see all those lovely little bears making an appearance! The design team have created some amazing items, so please pop over to have a look!

This is what I came up with...

What I have used:

Image and sentiment - Lili of the Valley

Coloured with Tim Holtz DMs

Butterfly - Martha Stewart punch

Pearls - Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Brown Sugar Challenges - Animals

Stampin for the Weekend - Colours of Summer

Stempellsonnen Challenges - Orange, green and brown

Crafty Little Fairies - Cute 'n Cuddly Critters

Stampotique Designers Challenge - SDC115 Lots of Layers

Thank you for stopping by, and please remember to play along at Crafty Calendar Challenge, where you can see what the rest of the DT have created too!

Love and light

Claire xx