I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours...

...your favourite creations of 2011 that is! I don't necessarily have a favourite for every month a la the lovely Kath but here goes anyway:

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and thanks for looking.

Brrrrrrrr....

....it's freezing here. Lots of snow and ice - very Christmassy but treacherous. I missed the LIM challenge last week in every sense of the word. So without further ado my entry this week for the music challenge is based on the Beatles song 'Hey Jude'.

I've cut my little monkey and sentiment using my Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot programme. I've used kraft card and DP from Fancy Pants designs. With the addition of some googly eyes and a pretty pink bow (in the words of Gordon Ramsay) - done!

The card is for my friend Jude who adores monkeys.

I hope all your Chistmas preparations are on schedule and you get a chance to take it easy next week. For once I'm well ahead - only one present to wrap, finish some hampers and make Scottish tablet (the recipents should make their appointment at the dentist now!).

I'm also entering my card into:

Glitter Geeks - Anything goes
Delightful Challenges - Anything goes

Thanks for looking!

Thank You LIM!

To help us on our way to the finish line of the Christmas card-a-thon those kind ladies over at LIM have themed this weeks challenge as green.

For my entry I've used one of the Doodle Pantry stamps I chose as part of my recent prize. It's been paper pieced with a combination of Summer Driggs Limeade and Shabby Princess Urban Kiwi papers. I've added a little red glitter glue on the berries and a few red gems (I hope that's allowed) and popped the whole wreath up on dimension pads.

I'm also entering my card into the following challenges:

Clearly Inspired - Christmas
Daring Cardmakers - Holly
Poodles Parlour - Christmas


I don't know how you are all feeling at the moment but I for one am thoroughly fed up with bad news. What with the global economy, pension fiddling, murdering thieves who think it is OK to take from those who have worked hard all their lives - where will it all end? How did we get to this place where honesty, fairness and decency seem to be dirty words?

Anyway rant over - thanks for looking and have a great weekend!

Fabulous Funky Christmas Trees

You have to make at least one of these - it's very theraputic. I can see a whole forest of these funky little beauties being planted chez moi.

The idea was provided by Vicky over on the Bubbly Scumptious blog and you can find the very easy tutorial here. You make it simply by folding pages of an old magazine and the whole thing takes less than an hour to make.

I've glittered mine with gold (you can't see it very well in the picture) but I think they look equally fabulous without any glitz.

Take care and thanks for looking!

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Christmas...

...not in this house it's not. I really must get a move on with Christmas cards but I can't seem to get in the mood. Anyway moving on to this weeks LIM challenge which is a bit of bling.

For my entry I've used a Pink Petticoat image from the Pretty Potties Wheelbarrow collection. I've coloured it to fit with the Create With Connie and Mary challenge (I now realise I can't enter as it's a Stampin' Up Only challenge) this week and added some pearls to the centre of the flowers, a gingham bow and a little Glossy Accent to the heart in the centre of the wheelbarrow.

It's been a bit of a trying week this week. My other half has ruptured his Achilles tendon and is now modelling a fashionable stookie accessorised with crutches. On the plus side I won a little prize over on the Doodle Pantry challenge for my Home Tweet Home card.

I'm also entering my card into:

Moving Along With The Times - Ribbon and bows
Pals Paper Arts - Pearls
Make It Monday - Anything goes
Papercrafting Journey - Anything goes

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend!

Meet P.P.P.Polly Penguin...

Or does it look like a Peter? Here is a little penguin shaped Christmas card I made using a Bugaboo freebie. I paper pieced the hat and wellies using DP from Polka Doodles Back To Nature CD. Polly's body has been paper pieced using DP from Pink Petticoat Lola Rose collection.

I don't think my cutting out is that great so I'll probably have another go at this one and try to make her a bit neater.

I'm entering the lovely Polly into the following challenges:

Floweret - Christmas
Inspire Me Fridays - Anything goes
Phindy's Place - Christmas cards
Polka Doodles - Shaped Christmas
Winter Wonderland - Must be Christmas cute image
4 Crafty Chicks - Paper piecing
Shelly's Images - Anything goes

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend!

Ah That's Better...

A little bit earlier than last week's better late than never LIM entry (I didn't post till Thursday) here is my silhouette card.

The digital image is a freebie (I'll need to come back later to tell you where I got it from - old age is a terrible thing) which I've printed and cut out with a nestie. I then embossed a frame around it, added a gem and mounted on foam pads.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend!

Fabulous Dahling!

When you're feeling a bit down there's nothing better than shoe shopping. My last card for today features some fabulous shoes which was a download from Papercraft Inspirations. I've paper pieced them using Summer Driggs Beautimous papers and added a little bling.

I'm entering my card into:

Cardabilities - Sketch
4 Crafty Chicks - Paper piecing
C.R.A.F.T. - Stars In Your Eyes
Just For Fun - Use your favourite technique
Shelly's Images - Anything goes


Sorry about the picture but it's almost pitch black here and it's not even 16.00. Thanks for looking!

Home Tweet Home

I'm a bit late this week for the LIM challenge of leaves this week. Where does the time go?

For my card this week I've used a sweet Doodle Pantry image which I've paper pieced using a combination of Summer Driggs Limeade and Beautimous papers. I think the Limeade paper on the leaves make them look variegated. I've also added a little wordbox as an address sign of the recipient.

I'm also entering my card it into the following challenges:

Doodle Pantry - Must use a Doodle Pantry image
Crafts & Me - Simples
Little Red Wagon - Paper Piecing
Ruby's Rainbow - Something With Wings

I'm feeling a bit out of sorts this week - maybe it's the dreary weather - the stork definitely dropped me in the wrong place - I think he overshot the runway in Spain!

Thanks for looking!

Bella Bella

I've found another new (for me) challenge. Use It Tuesday is all about using up your crafty stash. In my entry I've used Pink Petticoat Big Dot papers (which I use fairly frequently) and some wooden kitchen utensils I bought years ago from Mad About Cards. I made the card for the owners of the Bella Napoli Restaurant in Laganas, Zakynthos. The restaurant is the best on the island and boasts a proper wood fired pizza oven.

Talking about stash I wonder if you have things you can't bear to use because you love them so much. Mine is this:

It's called 'fajita baby' and I have both the boy and girl. The product is discontinued now so those I have left will remain safely snuggled in their blankets and never used.

I'm entering my card into:

Use It Tuesday - Cooking Up Fun
Anything Goes Challenge - Stitches faux or real
Digital Tuesday - Anything goes
Incy Wincy Designs - Stitching faux or real
Make It Monday - Anything Goes
Ooh La La - Stitching faux or real

Thanks for looking!

Good Enough To Eat?

It's dreich and dreary here today - damp and foggy. So to cheer myself up I thought I would enter a few challenges and make a dent on the Christmas card numbers.

I'm entering:

Polka Doodles - Shaped card
Christmas Card Inspirations - Bows
Crafty Cardmakers - Pink, brown and cream
Craft Your Passion - Anything goes plus brown

The DP is from the Polka Doodles back to nature CD. His eyes and buttons are Card Candy from Craftwork Cards and his mouth has just been drawn freehand. It was a bit scary drawing the mouth in case I turned him from a sweetie to something from a horror flick - but I think the result is not too bad.

Thanks for looking!

As William Wallace Would Say....

....Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!

Now I know Lady Lim Chrissie and Diva Mandi of Less Is More fame are not the enemy (they're quite nice really) but they are stressing me out BIG time - red and orange!!! My inner goth is crying out for valium.

So I've got through the battle even if I've not won the war. I've made my first ever rolling roses using scraps of Pink Petticoat papers in the aforementioned colours. The leaves are from a My Mind's Eye stamp and the sentiment is from Paper Smooches.

I'm also entering my card into:

The Card Caravan - Hand made flowers
The Squirrel and The Fox - Hats or flowers

Thanks for looking a have a great weekend.

Holy Cow!

This Bugaboo digital image made me laugh so it's destined to be one of this years Christmas cards. Inside it says 'it's Christmas'. I've coloured the cow, added glitter to the wings and halo and filled the clouds with sparkly chalk. I've also highlighted the heart with Glossy Accents.

And here is a bit of Glasgow wit which also made me laugh - a young boy was out guising for Hallowe'en. He knocked on a door and announced 'trick or treat' but added 'and by the way mister I'm diabetic, so it's cash only'. Genius.

Scrappy Frogs - Something that Flies
Paper Shelter Challenge - Christmas fun
Make it Monday - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Digital Tuesday - Cute & Cuddly
The Pixie Cottage - Get started make a Christmas card
Charisma Cardz - Cutesy
Totally Papercrafts - Glitter it
Cuttlebug Spot - Anything goes

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Ah That's Better....

....after Saturday's dismal LIM challenge entry here is one I'm a bit happier with.

The digital image and sentiment are from Paper Smooches which I've coloured with Copics. The DP's are just scraps from previous cards.

I'm entering the card into the following challenges.

Scrappy Frogs - Something that flies
Paper Shelter Challenge - Anything goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes
Make it Monday - Anything goes
That's Krafty Thursday - Use kraft
CAS-ual Fridays - Sketch

The sun is shining here today so I think I'll go out and enjoy it while it lasts - hope it's nice where you are - have a brilliant day and thanks for looking.

I'm In A Proper Temper....

....how can this be so hard? I've been attempting an entry for this weeks Less Is More stars challenge since 08.30 this morning. My first attempt was a stamped card which I must have coloured a million times and didn't like any of them. Then I couldn't find a star DP. Then I wasted a forest of paper cutting out the TV.

I've cut the old TV using my Cricut and a vector file. The paper is from Funky Hand's Funky Daze CD and the sentiment is computer generated.

So now that I'm in a proper temper I think I'll do some cooking - something, unlike paper crafting, I'm quite good at!

Thanks for looking a have a great weekend.

Last One For Today

I promise! Apart from seeing dots before my eyes anyone walking down my street must think the paparazzi are following them what with the amount of flash photography that's going on.

Anyway, my last entry for the Less Is More Polka Dot Challenge is a very simple card using DP and sentiment from Pink Petticoat's Big Dots Mini Collection.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.

I'm Also Dotty About....

....polka dot clothing. One of my favourite dresses of all time was a cream silky dress with large navy polka dots on it. It was very fitted at the top, full flared skirt, buttoned all the way through and was stunning even though I say so myself. Another favourite dress was the one Julia Roberts wore in Pretty Woman - I craved that outfit at the time.

So for my second entry this week on the Less Is More Polka Dot Challenge this little baby boy is obviously going to follow in my footsteps with his polka dot baby gro (don't do it son - you'll probably get beaten up at school). The image is from Squigglefly which I've coloured with a Promarker and paper pieced with Bluebell Pink Petticoat paper.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.

I'm Dotty About....

....typewriters. I don't know what it is but since I've stopped working I'm obsessed with typewriters although unfortunately I never ever had a funky pink polka dot one.

So for my entry this week on the Less Is More Polka Dot Challenge I've made a typewriter using a template from Papercraft Inspirations. The paper is from Summer Driggs and the name has been cut using my Cricut.

I love polka dots so I can see a few more entries heading the LIM way soon.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.

Accessorise, Accessorise, Accessorise....

....if we all were to accessorise with our favourite tipple what would it be? Mine would be a see-through dress with a couple of limes in my hair (G&T with ice and a slice) which would not be a good look.

Over on Less Is More the challenge is Cocktail so the lovely DeDe from Bugaboo stamps has accessorised with her favourite tipple of Tequila Sunrise. I've printed the image directly onto cardstock, coloured with Whispers pens and the sentiment is computer generated.

And the recipe for my personality?

Grace, Tease, and Style

3 parts Grace
2 parts Tease
1 part Style

And a Splash of Success

Finish off with an olive

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.