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

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

Flutterby...

Hello Everyone! Well, 1st September already, back to school tomorrow, and less than three weeks until Nadine is off to uni! This year had really flown by so quickly, and I have yet to start my Christmas cards!!

Today's card is for my Aunt in South Africa, so I had to keep it quite flat for the envelope. I have used a shaped card to add a bit more interest! I love this shape die, I just don't use it often enough...

What I have used:

Shape - Go Kreate die Frilly #10

Butterfly - Spellbinders Shapeabilities Wings of Hope

Tag - Spellbinders Shapeabilities Fancy Tags Two

Sentiment - Woodware

Brad - Hobby House

Papers - Tim Holtz Coredinations Fired Brick and

First Edition 12x12 pad J'Adore

I would like to enter the following challenges please:

Mojo Monday - Sketch 308

Flutterby Wednesday - Shaped cards

Jellypark Challenges - Things that Fly

As You Like It Challenge - Favourite Shape

Creative Craft Challenges 2 - Not a Square

Thank you for stopping by, please pop by 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

Monochrome!!

Hello All! Back again this morning with another hat on, this time for Dream Valley Challenges, and this week we would like to see Monochrome! I love this kind of theme, using shades of one colour - I think it gives cards a really elegant feel! We are sponsored this week by Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More, and the winner will receive either 5 digital stamps or 4 digital stamps and 1 paper pack of the winner's choice!

Right, onto my card! I tried something a bit different for me this week, and did some stitching on my card! Now I know this may not be new to all of you, but I think I have always been scared of trying it, so I just jumped in a the deep end, and I love it! I think you may just be seeing a bit more sewing on cards from me in the future!

What I have used:

Flower - Spellbinders Rose Creations

Leaves - Joy Crafts

Sentiment - Woodware

Brad - Hobby House

I wold like to enter the following challenges please:

Allsorts - Stitching

The ABC Challenge - S is for Stitching

Emma's Cards UK - Floral

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, please stop by the rest of the team to see what they have created!

Love and light

Claire xx

Posted with Blogsy

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

Anything Goes at Crafty Calendar Challenge

Hello everyone! I really can't believe that it's the first Saturday of the month again - where has this year gone?

It's challenge time over at Crafty Calendar Challenge, and this month we would like to see Anything Goes! I love challenges like this, as you can just be creative and see where your stash takes you!! We are being sponsored by the lovely Pretty Little Stamps, and some of the design team have used images for their cards.

My card today is for the new lady at work when we go back in September. I know how daunting it can be starting a job where there is already a team that you have to fit into, although I don't know how daunting Tracy and I are - mad more like it!! Anyway, I have made a card for her to wish her luck in her new job and hope it makes her relax a bit and realise we're actually quite normal and sane!!

What I have used:

Sentiments - Lili of the Valley

Flowers - Marianne Creatables

Leaves - Joy Crafts

Swirl - Magnolia DooHickeys

Spellbinders - Parisian Motifs

Lace - Hobby House

I wold like to enter the following challenges please:

Mojo Monday - Sketch

Inky Chicks - Summer colours

Thank you for stopping by! Please remember to have a look and see what the other lovely ladies at Crafty Calendar Challenge have created!

See you soon!

Love and light

Claire xx

Posted with Blogsy