Winter Fun

Hi All,

I hope you're not as stressed out as me with all this Christmas malarky. Honestly I've a thousand and one things to do.  I have started my Christmas shopping but we're getting new windows fitted on Friday .... aaagh! and I'm the Treasurer for my son's Air Cadet Squadron and the accounts have to be submitted by the end of the month ..... aaagh!

Anyhow, our final Crafty Cardmakers challenge for this year, hosted by Marie, is 

WINTER FUN (NOT CHRISTMAS OR NEW YEAR)

Well, I have to say this challenge had me stumped, cause all my winter stamps are Christmas related, however lying in bed on Saturday night, when all was quiet and all was still, this stupid idea came into my head ....

Oh dear, everyone else has done lovely pretty cards! But hey, we all need a laugh girls, don't we!

Stamps used were Hero Arts and Tim Holtz. 

Our sponsors for this challenge are The Paper Shelter

with a $20 gift certificate

and Sir Stampalot

with this fabulous prize

Okay dokes, got to get going.  Hopefully I will have time to join in a challenge or two in the next couple of weeks.

Until then, thanks for popping in.

Take care

Suze xx

CAS for Crafty Cardmakers

Hi all,  

Thanks for popping in today, apologies again for being a very sparse blogger, been up to my eyes in craft fair stuff, however, only one more to go next weekend and then I can concentrate on other things - like Christmas shopping ... aagh, I'm always last minute!

I've a wee card for you today for the new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers.  CAS (Clean and Simple) is the theme, hosted by the lovely Viv. (Thanks Viv for making this an easy challenge for me!)

A very simple card using a strip of Stampin Up DP and aTim Holtz dressform die.  The circular stamp is Stampin Up, inked in Summer Starfruit and I just finished it off with a wee bit of seam binding and some flowers punched from SU glitter card.

Our Sponsors for this challenge are:

Di's Digistamps

offering a $10 voucher

and The Stampman

offering a £10 voucher 

My card also qualifies for the current challenge over at Let's Craft and Create - Glitter.

Okay, that's me for today, thanks again for popping in.

Take care
Suze xx

Paper Piecing

Hi all,

Firstly let me apologise for being a rather absent blogger the last couple of weeks, I've been up to my eyes making stock for the four Christmas fairs I'm doing this year.  I've actually been asked to do another two but I'm turning them down, otherwise I'll be a stressed out wreck by the time Christmas comes!  However, I had one fair this week and did really well, so only 3 more to go!

I've a wee card for you today, made for the new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers.  Viv has chosen the theme of PAPER PIECING.

The stamp was a magazine freebie.  I paper pieced her dress and pumps and coloured the rest of her with Promarkers.  I then added some glossy accents to her posy of flowers and some Stickles to the frill of her dress.  The frames were cut using Stampin Up framelits and I also cut the No 4 and butterflies using SU dies too.


Our sponsors for this challenge are

Saturated Canary 
with two of their fabulous digis

and Woodware
with a prize of £12.00 to spend at your favourite Woodware Stockist
(onine or in-store)

Hope you can find the time  to join us in spot of paper piecing.

Thanks  for popping in today.

Take good care

Oh and I nearly forgot ...... thanks Valerie!!! mwah x

Suze xx

The Color Purple

Hi all,

Another fortnight has passed and it's time again for a new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers. This time the theme, chosen by Fiona, is MONOCHROMATIC PURPLE.

Well I never realised how little 'purple' stash I have. This is the total sum of it ...

Showing the shine!

The large butterfly stamp is from Stampin Up, stamped with Versamark onto SU cardstock and clear embossed. I then die cut it using an SU framelit, matted onto a white embossed layer then onto DP.  The sentiment is Personal Impressions.



Our sponsors for this challenge are Di's Digistamps and Hobby Art

Okay, that's me for today, thanks for popping in.

Take good care,
Suze  xx

Cozy Kiddie Handwarmers

Hi All,

Well, British Summer Time has now officially ended, and it's dark o'clock at 5 in the evening.  I don't much care for the dark winter nights, makes me feel very lazy and consume even more chocolate than I normally do!

However, I have been busy the last couple of weeks making stuff for the four Christmas craft fairs I'm doing this year.  Three of them are at local nursery/primary schools, so with the little kiddies in mind, one of the things I've made are some cozy little microwavable handwarmers...

I used 100% cotton flannel, cut into 4" squares.  I also cut two squares of lining material, stitched them all together, leaving a gap for turning. Filled with rice then handstitched up.

I've packaged them up and added a little instruction leaflet ...

When first heated the rice gives off a little moisture so I've already heated them three times in the microwave just to make sure they're all ok!

I'm linking to Handmade Monday, over at the Handmade Harbour blog for the first time.

Okay, that's me for now, my Cadbury's Fruit & Nut is calling!  See you tomorrow with a card for the new Crafty Cardmakers challenge.

Thanks for popping in.

Suze xx

Clean and Simple Shabby Chic

Hi all,

I hope you are all well on this chilly October morning.

I'm here with a card for the new Crafty Cardmakers challenge. Betty is our hostess and she has chosen the theme "SHABBY CHIC".  Aagh, I can't do shabby chic, I can only do clean and simple, however I've done my best and combined the two styles and I think my card although CAS is still quite soft and feminine.

I suppose the only shabby chic elements are the seam binding and I did distress the edges of the tag! The dress form stamp is from Kaisercraft, stamped in Versafine Sepia. The flowers on the DP have nice sparkly centres and is very pretty IRL.

Our sponsors for this challenge are 

Milk Coffee Digital Stamps

and Sir Stampalot

I hope you can find the time to join in and remember your creation doesn't have to be a card.

Okay that's me for today, the kids are on a two week break from school so I suppose I better go and get them out of bed for some lunch!

Thanks for popping in,
Take care

Suze xx

A White Stocking

Hi all,

It's been a while since I joined in with Chrissie and Jen over at Less is More, but this week's challenge of "White Christmas" really took my fancy - I do love a bit of "white on white"!

Very quick and easy, no stamping involved, just die cutting and embossing. The stocking is a Sizzix die, cut from white and glittery white felt.  The Spellbinder poinsettia is cut from vellum and the embossed sentiment is a Cuttlebug one.

Okay, that's it for today, I'm off out to enjoy the last of the good weather. It's so mild today but the temperature is forecast to plummet tomorrow!

Thanks for popping in.

Suze xx

CCM Teddy Bear Card

Hi all, 

And here we are at the beginning of another week and can you believe the last day of September, the weather is still quite nice with us here but the days are definitely getting much shorter.  I'm definitely becoming more of a couch potato now that the nights are drawing in! 

I've a furry card for you today for the new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers.  Jackie is our hostess and she has chosen the theme "Cute and Furry".

Well cute and furry is not my usual style, I certainly don't have many stamps that fit the bill, but I did find a scrap piece of faux fur so I've made a furry teddy card, which I think would be perfect as a baby card ...

I rather like how it turned out so I've ordered some fur off Ebay so I can make a batch of them. (I've been asked to do 4 Christmas Fairs this year so I'd better get cracking with making some stock!)

Our sponsors for this challenge are Di's Digistamps 

  

    and The Stampman.

Thanks ever so for popping in, have a lovely week.

Suze xx

Stamping on Fabric

Hi folks,

Well this must be one of the quickest cards I've ever made.

I really wanted to join in with this week's Less is More challenge  which is "Felt or Fabric" but when I checked it only had two hours until closing so I got my skates on rattled up this quick card.

I didn't have time to faff around so I took a chance and tried stamping on fabric ... and it worked ....

I used Stampin Up Markers and Versafine ink to stamp onto a piece of calico.  Luckily I had my sewing machine already set up so it just took a few seconds to stitch the calico to a square of SU Rich Razzleberry.

Okay, that's it, have a lovely weekend and thanks for popping in.

Suze xx

Baby Owl Card

Hi all,

It's me again, the reclusive blogger, here today with a quick CAS card for the new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers.

It's our 100th Challenge and the theme is WINGED THINGS.

I've made a quick CAS baby card ...

I think I'm starting to get my creative juices back because as soon as I saw this fab owl stamp by Woodware, I just had to have it.  The  body of the owl is paperpieced and I've added extra colour with Promarkers.  The sentiment is also Woodware.

For the first time I'm also joining in at CAS on Sunday where their current challenge is Oh Baby.

Our sponsors for the Crafty Cardmakers challenge are Crafts and Me and Woodware Craft Collection.  I hope you can find the time to join in.

Okay, that's me for today, thanks for popping in, take good care.

Suze xx

A silhouette using my silhouette!

Hi all,

I've just been having a bit of a blogging catchup and realised that a card I made yesterday for my young niece fits nicely with the current challenge over at CASology.

The cueword is SILHOUETTE and coincidentally I made the card using my Silhouette cutter (which I still find very complicated to use!).  
Lucy is a real live wire and is fabulous at gymnastics.  (The letters were cut using a SU die)

Okay, that's it for now, I'll be back tomorrow with a card for the new Crafty Cardmakers challenge.

Thanks for popping in.

Suze xx

Christmas in September

Hi All,

Well here we are in September, I can hardly believe it's autumn already. What a lovely summer we've had this year and  I have to say it's an absolute scorcher here today. I wish the British summer was like this every year.

Now I know a lot of crafters keep the Christmas spirit going all year round - and as such are well organised with their Christmas cards and tags, but I'm afraid I'm not one of them.  However, I had to dig out my box of Christmas stamps this weekend as the new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers is CHRISTMAS SNOW AND ICE (Your creation must include either a representation of snow or ice plus a Christmas theme in order to qualify for the Winner or Top 5 slots)

I couldn't quite face making a Christmas card so I've gone for a tag .....

This one shows the gloss and sparkle better

The sentiment is American Crafts, all other stamps are Hero Arts.  I heat embossed the larger snowflakes then inked with Stormy Sky, Mr Snowman and the holly garland are coloured with Promarkers, then I added some textured snow, stickles and some glossy accents.

Our sponsors for this challenge are Di's Digistamps and Hobby Art.






Okay, that's me for today, I'm off to prep dinner.  It's so hot today we're going to have a barbie.

Have a lovely week everyone and thanks for popping in.

Suze xx

Muscle Man

Hi all,

Here I am again with a card I made for one of my son's friends.  I have to say, I usually end up buying male cards but I had an idea for this one (he likes going to the gym) and with the colour inspiration from this week's Dynamic Duos challenge, here's the card I made ...

The muscle man was cut using my silhouette, and the SU sentiment was stamped in black onto Pool Party and clear embossed.

The kids are back to school today. It was a bit of a shock to their system getting up early and it was a bit of a shock to my system starting on tidying up the house.  There's just no point trying to keep things tidy when they're all at home - well that's my excuse!

Thanks for popping in.

Take good care
Suze xx

Holiday Time

Oh Lordy, it's been three weeks since I last posted, I really need to get my crafty bum into action!

In that time we've been on a lovely family holiday to Barcelona, it's such a beautiful city.  We rented an apartment which was only a minute's walk from Gaudi's Sagrada Familia.  The outside of the building is maybe not everyone's cup of tea but the inside is stunning.

I have to say we are truly "Gaudie'd out" after our trip but the shopping there is fabulous too.  Will definitely be a city I will return to.

Anyways, I'm here today with a card for the new Crafty Cardmakers challenge - FUN IN THE SUN -  which this time is hosted by Lin.  (Lin would like to see something relating to summer fun, so that might be holiday related, or something you might do outdoors when the sun is shining)

I used part of an image by Saturated Canary (Winnie Goes Camping) which I coloured with Promarkers then layered up with some DP and some ribbon for grass, then added some stitching for detail.  I haven't done any colouring for ages and this is the first time I've used a digi image.  I did wonder if the image would bleed when I started to colour it, but it was fine!

Our sponsors for this challenge are 

SATURATED CANARY

and SIR STAMPALOT   

I'd also like to enter the current challenge over at Addicted to CAS - which is Holiday.

Thanks for popping, I'll be back soon (no really I will!).

Take Care

Suze xx

Oriental 1, 2, 3

Happy Monday everyone,  hope you are all well!

It's time for another challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and Elaine is our hostess.  Her challenge is 

1, 2, 3:  1 image, 2 patterned papers, 3 embellishments.

I have to say I found this challenge quite tricky as I'm not very good with embellishments or papers!!

Anyhows, after much faffing about I came up with an oriental style card ...

The Geisha stamp is by Bravura and I've used 2 oriental style papers.  My embellishments are sequin waste, a TH die cut flower and some gold twine.  (Sorry the photo is a bit glary, it's pouring of rain today and the light's very dull)

Our sponsors for this challenge are The Paper Shelter and Woodware Craft Collection.  Hope you can join in - the challenge is running for 3 weeks this time.

Thanks for popping in, see you all soon.

Suze xx

Gold

Hi All,

Well, the weather's finally broken here, what a thunderstorm we had at 5 am this morning. I do enjoy a good thunderstorm although I wasn't quite excited enough to actually get out of my bed to look out the window.  Hopefully the sun will return soon.

I made a birthday card the other day and it just to happens it fits with this week's CASology challenge which is "GOLD" and the Craft-room Challenge which is "HEAT EMBOSSING".

I used a Klimt stamp from Chocolate Baroque which I think has quite a Deco feel to it.  I stamped the image onto black card and heat embossed in gold.  I did the same with the sentiment, then mounted them onto gold miri, then matted again onto the black and gold miri card.

Well, that's me for today, short and sweet.  I'm still going to the chircopractor and getting deep tissue massages (ouch) but I'm feeling much better and I do seem to have more energy again.

Thanks for popping in, see you all soon.

Suze xx

A summery birthday card

Hi everyone, and a big hello from sunny Aberdeen. It seems we are actually going to have a 'real' summer this year and I am not going to complain that it's too hot. No, no, no I'm not, the winter's are very long here in Scotland and I am going to lap up every warm ray of sunshine!

Onto my card which is for the new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers, hosted by Lin who has chosen a nice easy theme of BIRTHDAY.

The leaves and butterflies are cut from DP using Tim Holtz mini floral die. The doily is Stampin Up DP and the red background was cut with an SU framelit.  The butterflies are a Martha Stewart punch and the sentiment is also SU, cut with a Spellbinders fancy tag die.

Our sponsors for this challenge are Di's Digistamps and Hobby Art.

It's been such a looooong time since I was at a wedding but last Thursday my husband's niece got married at a beautiful Charles Rennie Mackintosh venue in Glasgow.  It's been a long time since I've had an occasion to 'glam up' too and although I don't really like looking at photos of myself, I do quite like this one my husband took of my gorgeous daughter and myself.  Just wanted to share (lol) - ignore the tuft of hair that's waving at you!

Okay, that's me for today, I'm away to have a little potter outside.  

Hope the sun is shining down on you too!

Take care and thanks for popping in.

Suze xx

Love Letters In The Sand

Hi all,

I'm rushing in with a last minute entry for this week's Less is More Challenge which is the theme "SAND".

It's been ages since I've played along at LIM but as soon as I saw the theme word last weekend I've been thinking of nothing but the song "Love Letters In The Sand", so instead of sitting down to make a birthday card that I really need to make, I had to get this one out of my system first!

The letters are cut from sandpaper using SU dies and I've simply layered them onto various bits of DP paper.

Thanks for popping in to take a look, I've been at the chiropractor this week for a sore back and it gets a bit twingy if I sit for very long, so I'm away to lie down and watch Andy Murray play so I hope I don't put my back out again jumping up from the sofa!

Have a great weekend.

Suze xx

Paris Inspiration

Hi all,

Yes it's me - I'm still in the land of the living!  I'm sorry but I've been totally lacking in the crafting and blogging department of late. You know that saying - "can't think, brain dumb, inspiration won't come" - well, that's been me, however, I need to make a few cards for upcoming birthdays etc, so I spent a little time in my crafty room on Saturday night and I have to say I totally enjoyed it.

This card today is for the new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers. The challenge theme, chosen by Josephine, is HOLIDAYS. (Create a project which depicts, or is inspired by,a holiday)

I took inspiration from our easter break in Paris.

I used a kraft card base, the red tag is a Stampin Up die, the black flourish card was packaging and I overstamped and embossed it in gold with the SU 'En Francais' stamp.  The Eiffel Tower is a Hero Arts stamp and matching die and I finished it off with a 'Bonjour' epoxy sticker, which I found whilst rummaging in my drawers! Isn't it amazing what you find!

Our sponsors for this challenge are Sir Stampalot.

My card also fits nicely with the challenge over at Let's Craft and Create - "Tags".

Well, that's it for today, hopefully I'll have something else to post in the coming days, as I still have a couple of more cards I need to make.

Thanks ever so much for popping in.

Take good care.

Suze x

Steampunk in Monochrome

Hi all,

Well the start of another week and can you believe we're half way through the year already and the sun has finally made an appearance in the north of Scotland!

Firstly, I must apologise  for being totally AWOL the last couple of weeks.  Life has taken over and together with the absence of Mr Mojo, I just haven't been blogging or crafting. 

Anyway, I still wanted to fulfil my duties in producing something for the new Crafty Cardmakers Challenge which this fortnight is STEAMPUNK.  Have to say, this is not really my genre but I found an hour to play at the weekend and I find making a tag is a good way of trying out new styles or techniques, so that's what I've gone for ...

The backing paper was from The Graphics Fairy, then I layered on a TH die cut clock which I silver embossed, a 'Steampunk' flower and sentiment which are PaperArtsy, then I stamped Mr Umbrella man onto acetate and layered him over the top.  The acetate is held in place by a couple of grommets.

Our sponsors for this challenge are Di's Digistamps and The Stamp Man.  Hope you can find the time to play along.

Well, my son's Air Cadet Squadron are having a family barbecue tonight and I'm on "bun duty" so I'd better shift my bahookie down to the supermarket!

Thank you so much for popping in, 

Take care
Suze xx

LOTS OF NOTEBOOKS

Hi everyone,

The last couple of weeks I've busy making "stuff" for Saturday's summer fayre at the local primary school.  I didn't sell an awful lot but as I always do really well at their Christmas fayre I thought it would be rude of me not accept their offer of having a table!

I made some notebooks in various styles as these always seem to be popular.  

These masculine ones fit in with the new challenge which starts today over at Crafty Cardmakers.  Feebs is the hostess this fortnight and as it will soon be Father's Day here in the UK, she has chosen that as her theme.  She should like to see anything you've created for or have been inspired to make by the father figure in your life.  (Please be sure to let us know the inspiration behind your work).

showing the inside

My dad loves cowboy films (in particular John Wayne ones), gardening and making lists!

He's also a dab hand at DIY and in his (much) younger days had a motorbike.

I also made some "girly" ones for the sale ...

They're pretty self explantory, made with various diecuts, DP and a little stamping.

Our sponsors for this challenge are The Paper Shelter (who are donating a $20 voucher) and Woodware Craft Collection.  Hope you can join in with us.

I'm not going to be doing much crafting the next few weeks.  Via the wonders of the internet, I've been in touch with a "newly found distant cousin" in Australia.  She's meantime in the UK on holiday and she's going to be spending about 10 days here in Aberdeen, so I'll be up to my eyes in family history stuff and doing the "tour guide" bit with her.

Thanks for popping in, it's always greatly appreciated.

Take care
Suze xx