Cute Card Thursday #32 - Autumn

A very appropriate theme this week from Cute Card Thursday. One thing we really noticed in the two weeks we were away was how autumn had really hit in a big way. We are surrounded by stunning colours everywhere we look and the gorse is starting to flower too. We have sun here today as well so I have been able to get all the windows open and let some of the damp out! No luck with the builder yesterday - worryingly it was too big a job for him so I now have to wait for someone from a bigger firm to come out. I do hope we don't get any heavy rain in the meantime.

This is quite an "old" Tilda but I like her! I've coloured her and the Magnolia leaves and acorns with Promarkers and Sakura pens. Tilda's dress is paper pieced with paper from K&Co McKenna range. Some brown velvet ribbon and memory thread embellishments finish it off.

Do pop on over to the CCT blog - the DT have done some absolutely amazing autumnal creations AND there's a fabby prize to give away to one lucky entrant!

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges - Tag You're It!

Gosh it's hard to get back into the swing of things at the moment - I have so much going on just now. A builder is coming this afternoon so hopefully we will be water-tight very soon!

The theme this week on Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges is to make a tag - these always come in handy! I have coloured the Sugar Nellie Pirate with Promarkers and Sakura pens and put him on a tag from K&Co Sea Glass Tag Book. A Karen Foster brad, sentiment and some fibres finish it off. Thanks for looking.

Bonjour!

Sunny Monaco taken just this Thursday from the Palace.

Well I'm back from holiday and we had a wonderful time but a few dramas along the way! Our car broke down on the way to the airport (thank goodness we had left early!). Then Newcastle Airport were short staffed and we were two hours going through security. We only just made the plane by 30 seconds and had to run to the gate right through the airport with no shoes on! We then had two fabby weeks and came home to a £320 bill for the car and water damage in Ben's room, the kitchen and bathroom. Wet plaster and damp stink in the house. Apparently there has been non-stop rain for the whole 2 weeks here with driving winds and floods on the roads and rivers so we got off lightly really. Welcome home eh?!!

Holibobs!

I'm off on my holibobs to South of France yet again for 2 weeks and will be back on Monday 13th October. Don't forget to check out Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges and Cute Card Thursday every week! In the meantime I will leave you with this picture of Monaco harbour taken on our holiday last year. Can't wait now!

Cute Card Thursday #29 - Lots of Sparkle

"Lots of Sparkle" is the theme this week from Cute Card Thursday and the DT have produced some really sparkly creations for you to see!

This Magnolia image was sent to me by Annie and I have coloured her with Promarkers and Sakura pens. The background card and sentiment came from a kit and the flowers are Scrap Fairies and Prima. I am still feeling dreadful but things can only get better!

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges - Something Different!

This week on Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges we would like you to do something different with your ATC. Although Artist Trading Cards are meant to be traded, sometimes we make them for a blog challenge and end up with a pile in a box, so this week we hope to give you some ideas for using them on 'Something Different'. You can choose your own design, just remember to use one of the cute faced stamps such as Magnolia, Hanglar, Cuddly Buddly etc. You can show us before and after pictures or just the finished project, and it would help us a lot if you could include a direct link to your creation on your blog. If you don't have a blog and would like to join in the fun with us please send your pictures to one of the Design Team members to load at the end of this post. The DT have made some wonderful creations so pop on over and have a look!

This is a Spiral Whisper stamp coloured with Promarkers and I have used papers from Designer Digitals and lace from Scrapz. A bit of a quickie this week as I am still not well and had to go to the Dr this morning. Apparently I have an ear and sinus infection which explains why I have been feeling like little imps with hammers had taken up residence in my head!

Embellished Somethings

I had a make a card for a Christening yesterday. Well I think you could say this is well and truly embellished and as this is the theme this week from Stamp Something at least I have something to show you as I haven't produced anything this week that's not for DT work. We go away on Saturday so I need to be in front. Plus I have the MOST stinky cold type bug I've had for a long time so I have no energy. Think I have what Ben had last week. Feeling very sorry for myself and my poor red nose anyway!

I got the central image for this card from Google Images and loads of matting and layering later with the addition of flowers and ribbon from the local florist finished it off! Thanks for looking. I know am a very bad blogging friend just now but I honestly don't have the time or energy. I am here in spirit - honest!

Let them Eat Cake!

No I haven't fallen off the planet - I've been baking! This lunchtime(yes THIS LUNCHTIME!) DH's parents let me know that they could come for their tea tonight. Usually this wouldn't bother me except that it is MIL's birthday and I asked them 2 weeks ago! Sooooo - this gave me four hours to make Moroccan Lamb Casserole (MIL's favourite) and her cake! I have been planning to make this cake for weeks after getting the book Sweet and Simple Party Cakes by May Clee-Cadman. This is the first time I have ever made a "proper" iced cake and I was paid the greatest compliment when everyone thought it was shop bought!


Anyway I am absolutely tired out now but we had a lovely meal. Here are my two boys (or "the twins" as I call them). DH is extremely tired after having spent 2 days travelling home and he is in desperate need of a haircut but I still think he is the most gorgeous man alive (and as long as I do that's all that matters!). Off to beddy-bies now to sleep for a week!

Cute Card Thursday #28 - Food

Yummy theme this week from Cute Card Thursday - Food! There are some yummy ribbons to give away too!

I have coloured Tilda blowing hearts (minus the hearts!) with Promarkers and lots of Sakura Stardust pens. The shrink plastic cupcake and strawberry were coloured with Stardust pens before shrinking. The spotty paper was a magazine freebie and I got the flowers and ribbon from My Paper World when I won a draw. On the inside the cupcakes were coloured with Promarkers and finished off with some prisma glitter.

All this talk of food has made me hungry so I'm off for my breakfast. My husband comes home today so we are in carnival mood here. He's been away 5 weeks and 2 days, or as Ben said "Far toooooooooooooo long"!

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges - Pink, Blue & Green

Ben is back to nursery today and seems to be fine but we had a couple of difficult days as he is just not used to being ill and he didn't like it one bit! I now have so much to do I don't know where to start! Perhaps with this week's challenge from Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges which is nice and easy - a colour scheme "Pink, Blue & Green" and we have Sakura Souffle pens in these colours and stamped images of new Magnolia Stamps to give away. Don't forget that you are not restricted to using just Magnolia stamps now but can use any of our round-faced friends you may happen to have!

This is Maggie with Flowers by Sugar Nellie (except I have cut off her flowers!) and coloured her with Promarkers and Sakura pens. I have used paper from K&Co Blue Awning tag pad and run some card through the Cuttlebug for the background. Some shaggy wool fibres and square gems finish it off.

Better get some housework done!

My son is ill so I don't know when I'll be about. He has been on the couch most of the day with a temperature and I can't remember when he last stayed still for more than 5 minutes!

Hopefully be back soon ....... DH is home on Thursday so that is at least one good thing to look forward to this week :)

Distracted ...

I have a million and one things I should be doing but I just couldn't put that leaf stamp down! I ended up buying this gold and brown dish with the large candle in the local town yesterday so I could make a candle with the stamp and some copper and brown Brilliance.

I have also been waylaid with my first every venture into jam making - well the brambles (blackberries) are in such abundance it was a shame not to pick some! Ben, my mum and I got two huge ice cream tubs yesterday afternoon and they weighed 4lb exactly and to my shock made NINE jars of bramble jam. Not jelly - we like the seeds :)

I am feeling extremely housewifey and am polishing my halo as I speak but this hasn't helped with the pile of crafting chores I have to do before we go way in 2 weeks ..... oh well, there's always tomorrow!

Rainbow Lady Challenge #30 - Autumn

What a great theme this week from Cythia aka Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog. I absolutely love these colours and I never need much of an excuse to delve into the brown side of the colour spectrum!

This is my first attempt at metal embossing (without using the Cuttlebug anyway!). I have started off nice and easy as you can see but I am please with the result. The leaf stamp by Creative Stamping and I have used Stazon onto the copper sheet. I have stamped the brown background card with the same stamp using Versamark to leave a watermark effect and over-stamped some homemade Luna Lights paper with the same stamp again in Adirondack Ginger ink and then added a few other little stamps in black and white. The beads are mounted onto copper wire and I have matted the whole lot onto a piece of copper mirror board. Thanks for looking.

Cute Card Thursday #27 - Cats and Dogs

Gosh how late am I today? My internet has been off all day for reasons only known to itself and has only just come back. Arrgghhh! Anyhow we are up to Challenge 27 on Cute Card Thursday - where has the time gone?! The theme this week is Cats and Dogs and the Design Team has come up with some absolute beauties - plus there another fabby prize to give away to pop on over and check it out!

This lovely High Hopes image was sent to me by Suzanne and I have coloured it with Promarkers and Sakura pens. Background papers is Basic Grey, flowers are Prima, sentiment is from a Studio G set and other bits from the local florist. Thanks for looking.

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges - New Beginnings

We have another fabby Guest Desginer this week at Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges, Steph aka Southern Fairy, and Steph has set the challenge this week with the theme of "New Beginnings". Pop on over to the blog to see Steph and the other DT's creations and see what Steph has to say!

This is Tilda with baby Tingla and I've coloured the image with Promarkers and Sakura pens. The background card has been stamped with Magnolia summer swirl in dye ink and I have hand stitched it onto a piece of denim and added a little metal charm. The flowers are a Magnolia stamp done on shrink plastic coloured with Sakura pens. Thanks for looking.