I'm so excited!!

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I am just so excited to tell you that I won second place in the Crafty Individuals ATC Competition!! Gobsmacked too. Not very often I am speechless!!

Check out the announcement here!! I had to see this before I actually believed it. I can wait to see the other winners (especially the first prize entry) and hopefully very soon I will be able to share a link to the winning entries. Couldn't wait to tell you though - I've been bursting!

A Spoonful of Sugar #38 - Doodle-doo

The theme this week from A Spoonful of Sugar is "Doodle-doo" ie some doodling on your card. This took me WELL out of my comfort zone as even my handwriting is pretty much illegible but hey-ho I doodled some swirls and dots on this Basic Grey Eva paper and did some faux stitching around the edge of the card.

This gorgeous Sugar Nellie Elizabeth Bell stamp has been coloured with Promarkers and Sakura Souffle Pens. I have used SU card and embossed card by K&Co, Dovecraft brads with the hardware and flowers from Poppicrafts and Prima.

Thanks for looking! Off to get my young man from Nursery!

Gothic Arches - Hearts

Gosh I haven't joined in with the challenge on Gothic Arches for ages. I am so enjoying crafting and blogging again now I am better and back to myself again. It was pretty horrid for a while there you know!

The background for this arch is gold acrylic paint stippled through punchinella onto Stardream card. The arch is Adirondack Acrylic paints in Peach Bellini and Hazelnut with this Hero Arts heart stamp stamped in Adirondack Ginger ink. I masked off this beautiful Lost Coast Designs stamp "Flower Children" first to get the heart in the middle.

I so enjoyed making this. Thanks for looking.

Daring Cardmakers - Oriental Spendour (No black or red!)

The tricky devils over at Daring Cardmakers this week have set an oriental card challenge BUT you are not allowed to use red or black - so here is my PINK oriental card!! Bit different but I quite like the copper and pink together.

Stamps are from a Non-Sequitur plate and I have masked then brayered the background with dye inks before layering up. Simple card but I quite like it!

Small World of Inchies & Twinchies - Pink

I found the challenge site Small World of Inchies & Twinchies on Sandy's blog. I do love a challenge! I haven't ever made a "Twinchie" before (2 inch x 2 inch). I hope I have got it right that you can make either/or both sizes. Anyway I have just done a Twinchie this week so I hope this is okay.

I have used Trees Pad by Crafty Individuals and taken the couple off their bicycle from CI186 and put them into the grass instead! I really must start using my stamps more in this way - looking at them differently and just using part of them sometimes for a completely new look. Anyhow a bit of Sparkle & Sprinkle EP along the left side, a metal charm from Scrapz with its top cut off and some bright pink card finish it off.

I really enjoyed playing with this. Think this would be a great size for UTEE pieces so I know what I will be doing tonight!

Thanks for looking.

Photo tag

I was tagged by Sue to show you the fourth photo in my fourth file. It's not very crafty I'm afraid - it's DH's oil rig in mid-tow when it was en-route to Ghana. I think it's a really good picture actually but you don't get any real perspective - it's ENORMOUS in real life!

I think just about everyone has had this one now so I'm going to be my usual spoil-sport and not pass it on!

Rainbow Lady Challenge #46 - Monotone Rainbow Colours

Cynthia has set a challenge of "Monotone Rainbow Colours" this week on Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog. This is an ongoing challenge over the last year and you are to chose a colour of the rainbow (plus black if you are stamping)- the idea being you will have done them all by the end of the theme.

This time I have chosen blue and this stunning stamp by Crafty Individuals has been stamped onto card brayered with "Shades of Blue" Dee Gruenig Marvy Ink Pad. Paper is from an old Joanna Sheen collection, card is Stardream and I have used more paper from the pack in a Cuttlebug border embossing folder and popped a couple of Dovecraft brads on to hold it in place.

Thanks for looking!

Penny Black Saturday #34 - Circle Card

WOW I got a challenge done!! Admittedly it IS a quick card using Penny Black's "Crush" who is quick and easy to colour with my Promarkers but still it's a step in the right direction!! Loads of Bazzill card using my nesties and a bit of ribbon with a Dovecraft Decorative Staple make this circle card for this week's theme on Penny Black Saturday.

Cute Card Thursday #46 - Metallica

This week on Cute Card Thursday the theme is "Metallica" - use some metal on your card i.e. charms, wire, spacers, eyelets, metal coloured card, fabric or paper etc.

I so love this Tilda and even got my Polychromos Pencils out to colour her. I know!! It's been a while. Loved using them again actually. I have used Claudine Hellmuth Sticky Backed Canvas sprayed with Adirondack Colour Washes and Glimmer Mists for the red background. It's also really sparkly gold but the photo hasn't picked it up (I should have used my Photographic Studio!). Paper is Basic Grey Bittersweet and I have used Sizzix Swirls die to cut the gold accents, Prima flowers, some Anita's Ribbon and a little charm from Scrapz(which I coloured with Sakura gel pens)for the embellishment. Sentiment is from Cuddly Buddly.

We have the lovely DawnyP as our GD too so you need to pop on over and check out the loveliness on the CCT Blog!

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges - Warm it Up!

As it's so cold just about everywhere in Britain this week the theme over on Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges is "Warm it Up", which can consist of warm colours or just about anything warming.

I was thinking of a lovely sunny holiday when I made this ATC!! This Cuddly Buddly stamp has been coloured with Promarkers and I have put him into K&Co Urban Rhapsody paper with a lovely warm Sugar Nellie sun.

We have our new guest designer, Beth, joining us for the month of February so pop on over to the blog and check out the beautiful creations on there!

Baby it's cold outside!!

We don't have any horrid white stuff here but goodness it's a bit chilly. Of course this is the day we decide to go and fly kites on the beach. We are a bit mad us you know!!

We found quite a lot of Spiny Sun Starfish on the beach, unfortunate casualties of the very rough sea. Ben was so wrapped up he couldn't get back up when he fell over!!

DH is going back to work tonight so I will actually doing some crafting and blogging this week!!

Cute Card Thursday #45 - Valentine

Seeing as how we only have a couple of weeks left now to get our Valentine's Day stuff sorted this is the theme this week on Cute Card Thursday. I only have 4 days left as DH goes back to work on Monday. I do keep reminding him that he'd better buy MY card before he goes away but apart from actually making or buying my own there's not a lot else I can do!!

It's so hard not going over the top on men's cards! I want ribbon, I want sparkle and all the usual suspects!!

I bought this cutie High Hopes character and the matching sentiment in the sale from Silly Monkeys specifically with Valentine's Day in mind - aren't they fabby?!! I have coloured my heart-stealing pal with Promarkers and filled in the heart with Diamond Glaze. Sentiment was stamped in Black Stazon on thick card coloured with dye ink and then triple embossed with gloss EP. Paper and card is from an old DCWV Mat Stack that I have just re-discovered. Sanded Core'dinations card, some Dovecraft Brads and Craftwork Cards Card Candy finish it off.

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges - No Designer Paper

Well I would say I am just about there now health-wise. I am still pretty tired but don't feel ill now and my cough has subsided pretty much into the background now.

Talking of backgrounds (see that link - seamless!) - this week on Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges we want to see your home-made backgrounds as no Designer Paper is allowed!

Sitting Alva and Large Daisy by Magnolia Stamps have been coloured with Promarkers and Ranger white pen. The green card is Bazzill and I used a Cuttlebug border embossing folder on some SU card to make the edge. The sentiment is Stamps Away and is stamped in Rust Brilliance.

This is the lovely Anesha's last week and we are welcoming a new Guest Designer next week over on the challenge blog so pop on over to say "au revoir" and "bonjour" (and see the DT's ATCs!).

Improving - hurray!

Gosh it's been a really slow process - I was much more ill than I thought and only just started to feel a bit better yesterday. Anyhowz I think I am on the mend now and we are away for the weekend so I will be back next week.

Thanks for all the get well wishes I have received - they definitely helped !!

The Bugs Strike Back!

I have been really ill over the weekend and have now been diagnosed with ear and upper respiratory tract infections. It never rains but it pours!! On the up side - I have have anti-biotics and should start to feel better real soon. I am taking a break for the rest of the week.

Don't forget Wednesday for Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges and Cute Card Thursday!