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

Exciting news!!

Morning everyone! Well, I have some exciting news to share with you today! I have been asked to join the lovely team at Try Stampin on Tuesday, and today is my first challenge with them! I am very honoured to join such a lovely grop of talented ladies, and look forward to all of their exciting challenges!!

So, onto today's challenge! We have a sketch for you to follow, and we have added a twist to the sketch this week - use a back to school theme and some form of metal on your card (if you want).

This is what I came up with...

What I have used:

Image and sentiments - Lili of the Valley

Coloured with Tim Holtz DMs

Clock shape - Tim Holtz Weathered Clock die

Date stamps - BoBunny

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Lili's Little Fairies - No flowers

Tuesday Throwdown - School Colours

Sugar Creek Hollow - Back to School

Crafts 4 Eternity - Back to School

MilkCoffee Challenge - Back to School

Thank you for stopping by, please remember to pop by the Try Stampin blog to see what the rest of the team have created - absolutely beautiful!!

Hope to see you again soon!

Love and light

Claire xx

Posted with Blogsy

Oldies birthday and For a Child!

Morning friends! Beware, this will be a bit of a long post, as I have DT creations for Eclectic Ellapu and Dream Valley Challenges to show you!

This week has been rather busy, which has been lovely! Last Sunday Nadine and I went to London to see Dirty Dancing, which was absolutely fantastic! We also had lunch and cocktails at Jamie Oliver's Diner in Piccadilly, so we thoroughly spoilt ourselves!! Graham has been on leave this past week, and is also off next week, so we have been pottering around the house. We went to Stamford on Friday and had a look around all the quirky little shops and the market, and then had lunch out.

Yesterday I went to Sir Stampalot in Peterborough for a demo by the very talented Clare Rowlands, the creator of Molly Blooms! It was a very informative couple of hours, and my head is spinning a bit with some lovely ideas!!

Right, on to today! My first card is for Eclectic Ellapu, and this week our theme is Oldies Birthday! This card is for my brother-in-law who turns 50 on Tuesday!

What I have used:

Sentiment - Lili of the Valley

Charm - Hobby House

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Seize the Sketch - STS #2

Lili's Little Fairies - It's all about the boys

Seize the Birthday - Anything goes

CAS(e) this sketch - Sketch #42

Divas by Design - Use some twine

My next card is for Dream Valley Challenges, and this time our theme is For a Child! I chose to do a baby card, and this one is going to one of the teachers from school who was blessed with her second little girl this past week...

What I have used:

Image and sentiments - Lili of the Valley

Rose - Marianne Creatables

Fern - Magnolia DooHickeys

Leaf - Joy Crafts

Brads - Hobby House

Ribbon - from stash

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

A Die for a Sketch - Challenge #15

Sister Act - Challenge 21

Aud Sentiments - Anything but a birthday card

Crafty Ribbons - Challenge 58

Crafty Creations - Shabby Chic

Thank you for taking the time to have a look, and please remember to pop over to have a look and see what the DT members on both teams have come up with, and of course link your creations to the challenges!

Love and light

Claire xx

Posted with Blogsy

For a Child

Morning Everyone! Well, what a week this has been! We had a wonderful visit from my cousin and his wife from South Africa, and had a busy few days with them! We went to Duxford on Sunday - completely awe inspiring, I didn't even know you got that many different planes!! On Monday they went to Cambridge and did some punting on the river, and on Tuesday my Mum came with and we went to Burghley House. Out for dinner on Tuesday night with the whole family (Johnathan managed to get home too!), and then they left to go to London on Wednesday morning to spend a few days there before going off to Germany and Poland!

Nadine received her A-level results yesterday, BBB, so she's definitely off to Bath Spa University in September! We are so proud of her, but I will miss her terribly!

Right, onto today!! It is the start of a new challenge over at Simply Create Too, and this time we would like to see a card for a child...

What I have used:

Image - Lili of the Valley

Sentiment - Woodware

Coloured with Tim Holtz DMs

Flower - Spellbinders Rose Creations

Brad - Hobby House

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

2 Creative Chicks - Anything goes for kids

In the Pink - Birthday **TOP PINKIE**

Lili's Little Fairies - Vintage/Shabby Chic

Paper Crafting Journey - Distressed/Vintage

Mojo Monday - Sketch

Thank you for stopping by, and please pop over to the Simply Create Too page to see what the rest of the DT have created!

Love and light

Claire xx

Art Deco

Morning Everyone! Sunday already, what a busy week! My cousin and his wife are visiting from South Africa, so I have spent a busy few days getting things ready for them, so my card for today's challenge got made very quickly yesterday morning - not like me to leave it til the last minute at all! We took them into town yesterday afternoon and showed them the sights of Peterborough (thankfully we have a cathedral!!), and did the traditional English pub thing, and then went out to a Mexican restaurant last night. They refused to go to bed until it was dark, so I hope they slept well as it's off to Duxford today to see all the planes (they are both pilots)!

Anyway, Sunday again, which means it's challenge time over at Eclectic Ellapu! Our theme this week is 'Art Deco'! Well, I will be honest, this one was a puzzler for me, but I found this gorgeous stamp at LOTV, which fit my take on the theme perfectly! I think everyone on the design team had a different take on the theme, but that's what makes us Eclectic!!

What I have used:

Image - Lili of the Valley

Coloured with Tim Holtz DM's

Sentiment - Woodware

Swirl - Magnolia DooHickeys

Corner flourish - Crafty Lynn

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

One Stop Craft Challenge - Pastel colours

The Cupboard Trilogy - Monochrome

Thank you for stopping by! Please remember to pop over to Eclectic Ellapu to see what the Eclectic Pink Team have created!!

Love and light

Claire xx

Posted with Blogsy

Day 17 at The Crafting Cafe

Hello Everyone! It’s Day 17 over at The Crafting Cafe, and our theme for this month is ‘Here Come the Boys’. We are being sponsored this month by Delicious Doodles, and the image that I chose is the Spitfire.

 

My Dad decided that he didn’t want a Father’s Day card this year, he wanted a bottle of beer instead, so the logical  step was to make a bottle tag! I made a little envelope to stick on the back to put a little something in for him to spoil himself with!

 

 

 

What I have used:

Image – Delicious Doodles

Coloured with Tim Holtz DMs

Frantage embossing powder

 

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Anything but a Card – Masculine

Dream Valley Challenges – Father’s Day

2 Sisters – Just for Dad

 

Thank you for stopping by, and please pop by The Crafting Cafe to see what the rest of the team have created this month!

 

Love and light

Claire xx

Birthday Boy!

Hello again Everyone! Monday again, busy day at work, only 6 weeks and 2 days to go!!!!

 

Today’s card is for Nadine’s boyfriend’s brother for his 18th birthday yesterday. He is rugby mad, so this LOTV image was perfect!! We all went out in the afternoon for a meal to celebrate, so a good time was had by all!

 

 

 

 

 

What I have used:

Image – Lili of the Valley

Coloured with Tim Holtz DMs

Papers – Wellington

Sentiment – Woodware Craft Collection

Date stamp – BoBunny On This Day

 

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Try it on Tuesday – One for the Men

Catered Crop – For the boys

Dream Valley Challenges – Sports

Hobbycutz Challenges – Masculine

Crafts 4 Eternity – For the Boys

 

Thank you for taking a look, and please pop by again soon!

 

Love and light

Claire xx

Thank you!

Hello Everyone! Well, another weekend – yay!! This week has gone by really quickly, which is always good, but quite busy too! Thursday night was quiz night – we didn’t win, but did okay(ish)!! Last night the team went round to a friends for dinner, and we had an absolute ball! I haven’t laughed so much for a long time, I was actually quite hoarse this morning! We played Charades amongst other things, and the miming of the film ’Happy Feet’ will forever bring a smile to our faces!!

 

My card today is to say thank you to Tracy for having us last night! I have used two different forms of embossing on my card – heat embossing (frantage on the second layer), and dry embossing on the first layer. I embossed the paper and then lightly sanded it on top to bring it out a bit more. I have also used one of my favourite stamps on this card. It was one of the first stamps that I got from LOTV, and I still love it. It is so versatile, and can be adapted for many different girly cards!!

 

 

 

 

 

What I have used:

Image – Lili of the Valley

Coloured with Tim Holtz DMs

Sentiment – Hero Arts

Papers – BoBunny Chiffon Flourish

Go Create Die – Large frame Frilly #10

Creative Expressions That Special Touch Mask – Flower background

Charm – Hobby House

Martha Stewart punch – Butterflies

Frantage embossing powder – Aged bronze

 

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

As you like it – Favourite Rubber Stamp

Tuesday Throwdown – Embossing

Deep Ocean – For a Girl

Charisma Cardz – Tons of Layers

Happy Campers – Use Metal

 

Thank you for stopping by to have a look! Hopefully see you again soon!

 

Love and light

Claire xx

Day 17 at The Crafting Cafe

Hello Friends! Well, me and Blogger not getting along this week – I had scheduled my post for yesterday, and think I must have forgotten to hit publish, ‘cos my post didn’t appear! The lovely Dawn sent me a message to say she couldn’t find my post, and when I’ve investigated there it is, saved as a draft, with no date on it!

 

It is Day 17 at The Crafting Cafe (well it was yesterday!!), which means it is my turn!! This month we are sponsored by the fabulous Bugaboo Stamps! Our theme is 'Lady Luck', which you can interpret any way you like!

 

 

I have made another sign to partner the one in my post Whimsical Challenge!

 

Remember that you have until the end of the month to enter!

 

Love and light

Claire xx

Get Well Soon…

Hello Everyone! Tuesday again, miserable day outside again, but warm in here – love blogland!!

Today’s card is for our friend who has had surgery, and is hobbling around in plaster and on crutches. I got so excited when the new stamps came out from Lili of the Valley – lots of scope for male cards!

What I used:

Image – Lili of the Valley

Coloured with Tim Holtz DMs

Film strip and film reel dies by Tim Holtz

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Come and get it challenges – Blue, brown and cream **TOP PICK**

Cupcake Craft Challenges – Lots of Layers

Fashionista Challenge – Shabby Chic or Vintage

Get Inky! – Show us some die cuts

That Craft Place – Makes for Men
Ideas to inspire  - Boys

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

Love and light

Claire xx

Let’s Celebrate!

Hello Everyone! Time for another challenge over at The Crafting Cafe, and our theme for this month is ‘Let’s Celebrate’! This month we are being sponsored by the lovely Crafty Sentiments Designs, and my image is called ‘Poppy and Henry’! They are just so sweet, so much in love...

 

 

What I have used:

Sketch - Milo Lilja

Magnolia DooHickeys – Swirl and Leaf

XCut dies – Nested hearts

Spellbinders Shapeabilities – Foliage

Marianne Creatables – Flower LR0256

Sentiment – Lili of the Valley

Martha Stewart punch – Butterflies

Image coloured with Tim Holtz DMs

 

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Cupcake Craft – Cute and Cuddly

Stamp with Fun – Romantic

 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and have a look! Please remember to check The Crafting Cafe every day for something new!

 

Love and light

Claire xx

The Crafting Cafe – Day 17

Hello Everyone! It’s challenge time over at The Crafting Cafe, and this month the Challenge theme is 'Favourite Colour'! Our lovely sponsor this month is Delicious Doodles, and my image is called 'Watering Can'.

 

 

I have been rather broad in my take on Favourite Colour, as I love all the vintagey colours that you get, so that's what I used. I have created a tag, which I can either use to attach to a gift or on the front of a card, I haven't quite decided yet!

 

 

 

 

I shaped the corners of the tag with a Martha Stewart punch, and the sweet little butterfly is also from Martha Stewart. The image is coloured with TH Distress Markers.

 

 

We would love top see what you create, so please pop over to The Crafting Cafe and enter our challenge this month!

 

 

Love and light

Claire xx

Girly

Morning Friends! Well, Sunday again, which means it’s time for another challenge over at Eclectic Ellapu! This week our theme is ‘Girly’, and is hosted by the lovely Sheena!

 

I have made a relatively simple card this week, using one of the lovely images from Lili of the Valley…

 

 

 

 

 

What I have used:

Image and Sentiment – Lili of the Valley

Coloured with Tim Holtz DMs

Doily and Decorative Corner – Cheery Lynn Dies

 

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Hanna and Friends – Anything Goes

Moving Along with the Times – Only Girls Allowed

 

Thank you for stopping by, and please remember to pop along to the rest of the very talented Pink Team to see what they came up with!

 

Love and light

Claire xx