It's All About ATCs Today!!

Happy Monday Morning everyone!

I do hope this morning finds you well and raring to go, whatever your day holds for you.

Today, I want to share with you some ATCs.....2 sets in fact, one for ATC Swappers and the other for Ali's ATC Swap Stop!

The first are for ATC Swappers, where the theme was 'In My Heart.'

I used pink and brown heartbeat papers from Crafty Stash, the image is called Ruby Chocolate from Bugaboo, and the sentiment is part of a collection called Chocolate Girls purchased from SBM. I have coloured Ruby with Promarkers and used foam pads to attach her, for added dimension.

The 2nd set of ATCs are for Ali's ATC Swap Stop! where the theme was 'Seeing Red.'

I have used Strawberry Shortcake as my inspiration for these.....those of you who are old enough will remember her from the 1970s. They are little pocket ATCs with a recipe card for Strawberry Shortcake tucked inside.

(ATC Pocket with Recipe Card inside)

(Double-sided recipe card)

Here's a closer look at them with the recipe cards inside....

..................and without the recipe cards..............

I have used a strawberry photo as the base card, added papers from the Strawberry Splash collection at Crafty Stash for the diagonal pocket-front. I added a red ribbon strip and an image of Strawberry Shortcake herself to each ATC (coloured with Sakura Glaze pens and Promarkers.) Then I made the double-sided recipe cards (and added a little ribbon loop to make it easier to get them in/out) which slides into the holder.

I would like to enter my Strawberry Shortcake ATCs into the SECRET CRAFTER SATURDAY CHALLENGE #123 - Sweet Treats, and
THE PAPER SHELTER #2 - Seeing Red (which was the theme for my ATCs too!)

Hope you like them! Thanks for Looking and Happy Crafting!

Something Yummy for your Tummy!!!

It's time for another challenge over at THE CRAFTY PAD, and our theme this week is bound to be a popular one....

 'SOMETHING YUMMY FOR YOUR TUMMY!'

Yes, we want to see any food or drink item on your project.....ooooh, I can't WAIT!!! Lol!

On top of that, we have a 'delicious' sponsor this week too....

Crafty Emma Store

The lucky winner will be able to choose a Memory Box 6x6 Paper Pad from Emma's store (wish I could enter!!!)

All of the DT used the BERRY SWEET strawberries image and sentiment this week, which are available from The Crafty Pad Stamp Designs,  available HERE.

I have made a version of a twised easel card, and I am quite pleased with the overall effect. I coloured the image with Promarkers and added some gold Stickles to the 'seeds' on the strawberries. The BP is from a collection called Strawberry Splash, and I covered the base card using it, then inked the edges. I used my oval scalloped nesties to matt/layer the image and the sentiment. I added a red lace bow to the top, and 3 large white maribou feathers behind the image.

The sentiment is raised on foam pads and acts as the easel stopper, and because I loved the BP so much I left as much as possible showing, and just added a couple of die-cut swirls ans flower buttons filled with gold Stickles to finish.

So glad you popped by, don't forget to visit our challenge blog, and join in with this week's yummy challenge, and also the Crafty Pad Stamp Designs shop too! And finally, please visit my fellow DT member's blogs to see how they made their fab creations too!

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

• Tuesday Throwdown #37 - 3D
• Kaboodle Doodle Challenges #55 - Break Tradition! (This is my 1st twisted easel card!)
• Crafts for Eternity #8 - Easel Card.
• Secret Crafter #123 - Sweet Treats 

Thanks for looking, and Happy Crafting!

ATCs for a LOVE/FRIENDSHIP Swap

Hi folks,

a little later than I had intended, (apologies for that,) but here are all the ATCs for the February ATC Swap over on the Cardmaking Downloads forum.

The theme was LOVE/FRIENDSHIP

 KRIS

DEECY

DAWN

 JEAN

 DEBBIE

ALI

More great ATCs I'm sure you'll agree and they'll be on their way to you early next week.....thanks for stopping by.

Sweetheart Cupcake Easel

Good Morning (whoops, no, Good Afternoon!)

I have been having a play this morning with a decoupaged easel card....and here it is.

I purchased the download which is called 'Sweetheart Cupcake Easel, from Cardmaking Downloads and simply cut out the layers and assembled.....simples! I added some Stickles and Liquid Pearls to the cupcake, inked all the edges and added some pearls and flower gems just to finish it off.

Such a quick and simple card to make, but really effective too! It even comes with a template for a matching envie too.

I'd like to extend a VERY warm welcome to my latest followers, SALLY, a fellow DT member from For Fun Challenges, and AMY!

Thanks for looking, and Happy Crafting!

Look Out! JJ's Got The Hoover Out!!!

......Not something you see everyday, JJ's got the hoover out! A bit like in my house tbh......the kiddies and the cats all look a little confused if they see me get the hoover out ......"what IS she doing, and what IS that thing?!?!"

My card was made using this week's Sketch Saturday sketch....week #143

My base card is just shy of a 6"x6"  The papers are from a digital pack called So Jordan and I've used both the black and white of the stripes and spots. JJ is of course one of the fabulous Bugaboo stamps (there are loads more JJ digis too!) coloured with Promarkers and attached with foam pads for a 3D effect. I used the computer to create the sentiment and added some buttons with ribbon tied through. Each layer has been distressed with an olive ink pad, including the sentiment.

The challenges I'd like to enter are:

• DWA! Challenge #18 Anything to Do With Cleaning!
• Creative Inspirations Paint - Polka Dots & Stripes
• Crafty Emmas Store #24 - Spots & Stripes
• Card Cupids - Buttons and/or Ribbons (I used buttons)

Thanks for looking, and Happy Crafting!

UPDATE!!!

I made TOP 3 with this card at Creative Inspirations Paint!

Toby's Birthday Card

Tomorrow is my oldest son's 11th Birthday. Last year, he was Liverpool FC MAD.....what a difference a year makes! THIS year, he has become a true supporter of our local team, Southampton FC (aka Saints.) Football has become a huge part of his life, he now plays for a local team in a Sunday league, does football training and circuit/fitness training every week, and follows the premiership league with an attention to details I can only dream of him applying to his schoolwork!!!

And so, his birthday card HAD to have a footie theme, and here it is:

This year is the Saints 125th anniversary, so I have used an image of their badge which incorporates that....

The pitch and net BPs are from a freebie at Cardmaking Downloads, and the images are free caricatures of Saints players I found on the internet....with the exception of the one in the middle....

Any Saints fan may recognise Matt Le Tissier on the left, Dean Richards on the right, but maybe not.............TOBY STANNEY (aka the birthday boy!) in the centre!! A little cut n paste work, and I managed to add Toby's head onto Mick Channon's body! Looks quite effective don't you think?!

The sentiments are computer generated, and for the easel stopper I have used a football button, which I stitched on at an angle, and placed it so that Toby's image is striking it!

Being only 11, I may well have to explain to him WHO the other players actually are, (although I know he knows Matt Le Tizz from a school project he did recently!)

Zoe (my 5 year old) was crafting away with me last night, making her own card for her big brother, using exactly the same images as mummy; I WAS going to add a pic of her creation, but she's hidden it somewhere safe and gone to bed, and despite my best efforts, I have NO IDEA where it is!!

We've got a busy day tomorrow, a 4-lads-sleepover, pizza, cinema and a very late night I expect, so wish me luck..........just as well its half term!!!!

And finally (was that a 'phew!' I just heard!?) a very warm welcome to my latest followers: Michelle, (oh yes, THE Michelle Perkett, how honoured am I! Go check out her fab images.) Linda, and Berenice....thank you all for joining me on my crafting journey.

Thanks for looking, and Happy Crafting!

Challenge #109 at THE CRAFTY PAD

Morning folks,

well, it's the start of half term here, and I am seriously hoping that we are finally free from the germs and bugs we've been subjected to for the last 10 days!

Over at the Crafty Pad this week, we have a fab colour combo challenge for you.........we want to see....

RED BLACK and PINK

Here's what I came up with:

It's a gift box and I've filled it with crafty goodies.....a perfect gift for a crafty friend!

We have another wonderful prize up for grabs too.....

Joanna Sheen has generously given us a £10 gift voucher to spend in her shop. With so many yummy goodies you'll be spoilt for choice!

The image I've used is a Crafty Pad one, it's called ROSE and is available HERE.

I used a cute red, black and pink digi BP printed straight onto card, and printed the box template onto the reverse. I coloured the image with Promarkers, matted and layered onto red and pink cut with my nesties, and added some black/white funky fibres around the top to finish.

We do hope that you can join us this week, and don't forget to check back next Sunday to see if you are a winner.

I would like to enter my gift box into the following challenges:

• Allsorts - #91 Inspired by Nature.
• C.R.A.F.T. - #90 Not a Card.
• DYSU - #7 Dots.
• Moving Along With The Times - #86 For a Little Girl, NOT a Card.
• Stamp Insanity -  Anything But a Card.
• Ooh La La Creations - #73 For Someone Special.

Thanks for looking, and Happy Crafting!

Disco Diva !!

Oh I had so much fun making this card! I knew that I wanted to enter this week's Digis With Attitude! challenge (#17 'It's the Puffy challenge!') AND this week's I Love Promarkers challenge (#53 Paper Piecing)  too, so put my thinking cap on as to how I could combine the two on one card.

Here's a sneak peek of what I came up with...

This was my first time paper piecing, and I will definately be doing it again, I LOVE how the image has elements that match the DPs  :)

The image I chose was a DWA! one, Disco Tween, you can find her here. As she is a funky kinda gal, I decided to paper piece her HAIR as well as her trousers.....and here she is!

Cool huh! I coloured the rest of her with Promarkers, (face, arms, tummy, earrings and shoes) and mounted her onto a lacey circle nesty. To get the 'puffy' bit, I threaded some pink funky fibres through the 'lacey' bits of the circle (I went round twice so it was nice and 'puffy!')

The DPs are freebies from a Cardmaking & Papercraft mag, which I inked the edges of and matted onto black card. I also added some funky fibres to the yellow piece of the DPs at the bottom. I finished off with some die cut flourishes, two pearl-headed pins inter-twined at the bottom and cut some extra circles from the left over DPs and glued them to the black circle, so they look a bit like the coloured lights at a disco (well, that's what they used to have years ago when I last went to a disco!!)

I would also like to enter Your Next Stamp Challenge #36 - Paper Piecing.

Do hope you like her!

Thanks for looking, and Happy Crafting!

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' to.......?

.....FOR FUN CHALLENGES! Yes, it's our birthday, and we are 1 year old!!!! And we want to celebrate in STYLE, so, this week, we have a wonderful sponsor, Michelle Perkett, and a super-duper fun challenge-theme of.........................

So your project needs to be in celebration of a birthday......what could be easier? Here's a little bit about Michelle.....

Michelle Perkett is an artist who believes the world can always us more kindness, innocence, inspiration and color. She lives in beautiful Southern California, and has an incredibly unique, and positively happy style in her art. She has a magical store filled with angels, fairies, mermaids, and wonderful images, bound to delight you!

Michelle's first love is her art. She has run her art business for over 6 years and is spreading worlwide with Etsy and devoted crafters. She tries to live the way she creates her art; with love, happiness, peace, harmony, joy, friendship, kindness and inspiration and hopes that she inspires other people to do the same.

You can visit the MPS shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/michelleperkett

Or Michelle's blogs:
 http://michelleperkettstudio.blogspot.com http://michelleperkett.blogspot.com

On the DT we were really lucky to have the chance to work with some of Michelle's fab images, and here's my card...........

I so enjoyed making this card, and went for this image/colour scheme as I made it for a friend whose  birthday was on Monday, Valentines Day! (Happy Birthday for Monday Sammy!!)

I coloured her using my Promarkers, and used my labels nesties to cut, mat and layer.

 I used 2 digi papers (gingham and hearts) red cardstock and Card Candy dots, along with some lace ribbon. The sentiment was made on the computer, using Countryhouse font.

So, there you have it! Why not pop over to FOR FUN CHALLENGES and join our celebration this week, you never know, you might just win some of Michelle's fab digis! Oh yes, there's more!  Helen, who owns the blog, is also putting together some birthday candy as a 2nd prize this week, so there's double the chance of winning....Yay!

I would also like to enter the 'your choice' challenge at Michelle Perkett Studio .

Thanks for looking, and Happy Crafting!

WeeStamps!

I have just discovered the most adorable new digi stamps, WEESTAMPS, created by Sylvia Zet, and available from here store here. 

Here is an example of her gorgeous work:

See what I mean!? Sylvia is looking for folks to help promote her venture, so if you feel able to help, pop over to her blog and find out what to do.

Thanks for looking, and Happy Crafting!