My Favourite Five Cards of 2012

Debby is hosting another Favourite Five and this time it’s Favourite Five Cards of 2012.
Here are mine:

#1 – I love Saturated Canary images and this is my favourite Saturated Canary card this year. I love the Colour scheme and the CAS design. Original post is here…

#2 – Masculine cards are always quite hard, but I was pleased with how this one turned out. It uses a Digi from Crissy’s Digi’s called Whatzup Dog, and the colours, layout and embellishments just seemed to come together. Original post is here…

#3 – This is  bit of a cheat, it’s two cards! I adore this image from Pink Gem Designs called Moon baby and this year I’ve used it to make both a Girl and Boy New Baby card and I couldn’t decide between them. Original posts are here and here…

#4 – This was a card from quite early in 2012 but I like it because it doesn’t use a really cute image and it also uses a negative die cut as a frame. The stamps are from a Little Claire set and the original post can be found here…

#5 – Again another slight cheat as this is two cards, but something I struggle to do is embellish my cards. Sometimes I add embellishments and to me they look as though they have been plonked on top and don’t form part of the design, but with with these two cards I think I got it just about right (well for me anyway!). The original posts can be found here and here…

        

I had a really hard choosing these as I think my crafting and style has really grown in 2012, I could have chosen about another 10 cards!

I hope you enjoy my selection and thanks for stopping by
Lisa

My Favourite Five Christmas Cards of 2012

As I mentioned in a previous post Debby is again hosting her Favourite Five Christmas Cards.


I found this quite a hard choice this year as I loved making all my Christmas cards and didn’t find it the chore that I have sometimes found it in the past. So with a little help from hubby on narrowing it down to 5…ahem 6, here goes….

#1 – This was the first card I created as part of the Whimsy Stamps Digital Design Team. I love Kraft and the image is so cute and I was thrilled that it’s here on the Whimsy Stamps store page. Original post is here.

#2 - I have a few favourite Pink Gem Digis and Winter Chloe is one of them. I really enjoyed making this card because of the non-traditional colour scheme and it also has some of my favourite things, pearls, sparkle, ribbon and lace. Original post is here.

#3 – This was part of my winning entry for Papercraft Essentials ‘Papercrafter of the Year 2012’. It’s a 3D Christmas Tree Card, but does in fact fold completely flat for posting. If you have the magazine I’m on page 18 but I haven’t got round yet to posting the pictures on my bog.

#4 – This time it’s one of my favourite Digi Stamp Boutique images ‘Skating Hattie’. I was pleased with how I managed to use up some scraps of old card and shock horror use a glitter peel off! The original post can be found here.

#5 – Another Digi Stamp Boutique image from a fabulous A4 sheet of 6 designs together with sentiments. This sheet of images (with a little colouring) allowed me to churn out a lot of fast and simple, but at the same time individual cards. Original post is here and shows some more cards made with the other images.

#6 – And the sneaky extra one is a Digi Stamp by Chrissy Armstrong for Whimsy Stamps. I think I like this one because although I’m not a religious person it is such an adorable image and I have family members who I knew it would be perfect for. The original post can be found here.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peak at my favourite Christmas cards of 2012 and before I go I would like to wish all my followers (old and new) a Merry and Prosperous 2013.

Hugs

Lisa

Some Quick Makes

Evening All. Hope everyone has been having a nice relaxing time. We have had a hectic few days so have had a nice lazy day, including a little stroll so Little One could try out his new scooter.

I do believe these are the last of the Christmas cards that I have to share. These were what I referred to as my quick makes and I created them using the fabulous Simply for Christmas A4 set from Digi Stamp Boutique. The best bit was having the sentiment right below the picture so I could die cut them in one go.

Here are the pictures (sorry quite a few)…

All the images were coloured with my ProMarkers and have been cut out and matted using various dies (including X-Cut, Nesties, Nellie Snellen, etc). The plain paper and cards was all from my stash and the patterned papers and card are from various different pads (including Forever Friends, Daisy and Dandelion, MME, First Edition Stocking Filler and Village Christmas, Pink Petticoat, etc). And lastly a little bling.

I would like to enter all the above cards into the following challenges:

• Digi Stamp Boutique Blog – December Challenge
• Clear it Out – Happy Holidays
• Ladybugs TLT Challenge – Anything Goes Christmas
• Divas by Design – Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp – Anything Goes
• Simply Create – Linky Party #15
• Sparkles Forum Challenge – Anything Goes
• Pause Dream Enjoy – Anything Goes
• Stampin for the Weekend  - Anything Goes
• Dream Valley – Christmas
• Joanna Sheen Challenge – With Love at Christmas
• Craft Us Crazy – Merry Christmas
• Card Crafters Circle – Anything Goes
• Anything Goes Challenge – Traditional Christmas Colours
• Creative Belli Challenge – Christmas (Old Embellishments are the Rhinestones)
• Cute Card Thursday – Anything Goes
• Emergency Crafters – Winter Wishes
• One Stop Craft Challenge – Inspired by a Carol (Most Wonderful Time of the Year for all Cards)

Thanks for stopping by
Lisa

Digi Stamp Boutique

I bought Skating Hattie last Christmas from Digi Stamp Boutique but is still one of my favourite images to colour. I have already shared one of this years Christmas cards made using her and here is another…

She has been coloured with my ProMarkers, the patterned paper is from an old DCWV Christmas Glitter Mat Stack, the plain card is from my stash, the dies are Nesties and Nellie Snellen and the sentiment and snowflake stamp are from a clear HobbyArt stamp set.

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

• Digi Stamp Boutique Blog – December Challenge
• Clear it Out – Happy Holidays
• Ladybugs TLT Challenge – Anything Goes Christmas
• Papertake Weekly – Pick of the Year ‘Anything Goes’
• Creative Belli Challenge – Christmas
• Divas by Design – Anything Goes
• I Love ProMarkers – Anything but Square
• Simon Says Stamp – Merry Christmas
• DYSU – Anything Goes
• Simply Create – Linky Party #15
• Sparkles Forum Challenge – Anything Goes
• Stampin with the Dragon – Waiting for Christmas
• Pause Dream Enjoy – December Celebrations
• Stampin for the Weekend  - Anything Goes
• Totally Gorjuss – Easy Does It
• Dream Valley – Christmas
• Joanna Sheen Challenge – With Love at Christmas

Thanks for stopping by
Lisa

And Another…

Thanks to being poorly I am snuggled up on the sofa which gives me ample time to catch up on some blogging. As I said yesterday I hope to share the remainder of my Christmas makes before the start of the New Year.  So here goes with a card using a little cutie from Digi Stamp Boutique…

 
The image has been coloured with my ProMarkers and I’ve kept the rest of the card quite simple using up some scraps of patterned card (from Sarah Hurley and an old DCWV Mat Stack). The sentiment is from a HobbyArt Clear Stamp set and has been stamped onto a scrap of pink card die cut with an X-Cut Square Parenthesis die. The button, metallic twine, glitter adhesive strip and flat backed gems are from my stash.

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

• Digi Stamp Boutique Blog – December Challenge
• Clear it Out  - Happy Holidays
• DYSU – Christmas
• Simply Create – Linky Party #14
• Card Makin Mamas – Happy Holidays
• Come and Get It – Anything Christmas
• Dream Valley – Christmas
• Joanna Sheen Challenge – With Love at Christmas

Thanks for stopping by
Lisa

Anything for Kids

Hands up….who’s enjoying all of this lovely weather we are having? Don't get me wrong I love the nice weather but to have a little cool down I thought I would stop for a cuppa (hot drink to cool down!!! it may sound mad but it works for me) and tell you all about the special new challenge over at Paper Crafting Journey.

We are linking up with the Send a Smile 4 kids challenge blog this fortnight and our theme is:

ANYTHING FOR KIDS GOES

So make anything but it must be for kids. Here is my card:

I’ve  used a gorgeous digi from Digi Stamp Boutique. I picked this as I’m sure lot’s of little girls would love to be a ballerina. She has been coloured with a mix of ProMarkers and FlexMarkers. I’ve kept the rest of the card quite simple, with some paper from Echo Parks 6x6 pad Walk in the Park, some Kraft card, some ribbon, pearls, MS Border punch and my new favourite dies the CC Designs Phlox Flower Cutters and the CC Designs Leaf Cutters. The flowers have been cut from felt.

It would be fantastic if you could send your cards off to Send a Smile 4 Kids. They do great work and how amazing would it be to know that your card could put a smile on the face of a child?  You can read more about the work which Send a Smile 4 Kids does here.

So because PCJ are linking up with SAS4K, we will be accepting back links from 19th May 2012 but only if you have entered your card into the SAS4K challenge! Lisa (our PCJ Boss Lady) will be checking.

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

• Ladybug Crafts Challenge – Something with Wings
• My Time To Craft – It takes two (flowers)
• Oldie but a Goodie – Things with Wings (old stash is PP and the digi)
• Passion for ProMarkers – Special Challenge – Birthdays
• Crafts and Me – Fabulous Flowers
• I Love ProMarkers – Use Die Cuts
• Southern Girls Challenge – Dying to Die Cut
• The Paper Shelter – Bling it On
• Alphabet Challenge – Handmade Flowers
• Card Makin Mamas – May Flowers
• Sweet Stampin – Faeries or Angels
• The Corrosive Challenge – Flowers/Doilies/Bling (I’ve used Flowers and Bling)
• Crafty Calendar Challenge – Things with Wings
• Joanna Sheen Challenge Blog – Happy Birthday
• Sundays with Crissy – Things with Wings
• Digi Stamp Boutique – May Challenge
• Milk Coffee Challenge  - Die Cuts
• Dies to Die for challenge – Anything Goes with Die Cuts

Thanks for stopping by

Lisa

PS: I’ll be back later with my post for Sarah Hurley Challenge Blog.

Buttons at Critter Sketch Challenge

My laptop is still broken, so computer time is quite limited at the moment. I really should be in bed by now (it’s 12:45 am UK time) but I got a little carried away playing with the lovely Steampunk CD from Sarah Hurley and then I remembered I wanted to blog my card for this weeks Critter Sketch Challenge otherwise I probably wont get another chance until late tomorrow afternoon when my Little One is having his afternoon nap.

The theme this week over at Critter Sketch Challenge is:

BUTTONS

Now it’s plural so you need to use more than one, but they can form the focal point of your project or like me they can be an embellishment.

I’m still stash busting my way through all the unused patterned paper pads I have and these are from the Fancy Pants Summers End 6x6 pad.  Sometimes I colour an image first other times (like this) I pick the papers first and colour the image to match. I fell in love with the zingy colours in this pad immediately so coloured up this cute little fairy from Digi Stamp Boutique to match. I have used a scalloped nestie to cut a mat fro the image but the large scalloped border was created using plain punched circles cut in half and layered up. I have also used some Core’dinations card, some flat back pearls, gems and cute teeny tiny little buttons from Papermania. The sentiment was written on my Dymo Label Maker and seemed perfect for the image.

Don’t forget to stop by Critter Sketch Challenge and see what the rest of the DT have made.

I would also like to enter this into the following challenges:

• Crafty Calendar Challenge – Spring Clean (I’m stash busting all my patterned papers)
• Stampalot Challenge – Inspiration Challenge (I took inspiration from Brenda’s colours and the fancy card shapes inspired my scalloped border)
• Allsorts – Spread your wings
• One Stop Craft Challenge – Button It
• Sparkle Forum Challenge – Things with Wings

Bye for now

Lisa

Using Up Stash

It might be blog post overload from me tonight. I don’t feel like crafting (shock) and I can’t watch TV as Hubby is using it to play Wii. So I thought I would blog some cards I have made recently and schedule some blog posts of upcoming DT cards.

Our house hunting is going quite well and we have a shortlist of three houses that tick most boxes for both of us, the exciting thing is they all have study’s downstairs which will probably be a Craft Room/Playroom for me and Little One and will mean I don’t have to share the spare room with Hubby and all his books and computer stuff.

Enough waffle, here’s my card:

I do admit I’m a paper stroker, so having had this little beauty coloured up since before Christmas I resolved to use some of the gorgeous papers I’ve been hoarding. I also used a couple of the goodies I got for Christmas(corner die, border die and Dymo label machine) and a little treat I gave myself after Christmas (CC Designs 5 Petal Flower die).

I would like to enter the following challenges:

• I love ProMarkers – Cute and Cuddly
• Passion for ProMarkers – Song ‘Nina Pretty Ballerina’ by Abba
• Flutterby Wednesday – Bright Colours
• Simon Says Stamp Challenge – Spots and Stripes
• Moving Along With the Times – Spots and Stripes
• Dream Valley – Anything Goes
• Papertake Weekly – Die Cute

I really struggle with embellishing my cards so I would love to know what you think.

Thanks for looking

Lisa

Items: Image Digi Stamp Boutique, ProMarkers, MFT Border Die, CC Designs 5 Petal Flower Die, Marianne Corner Die, Butterfly punch, ProMarkers, Pearls and Gems from Wild Orchid Crafts, Dymo Label Maker, Spica Glitter Pens, White Gell Pen, Peeled Paint Distress Inkpad, 6x6 white scalloped card blank and papers from My Minds Eye (forgotten which though…doh, will update later)