Excited, Scared, Happy...

...TERRIFIED!!!

Oh my, I'm all of a doo-dah - I've just agreed to join Ignacio's Design Team at Nicecrane Designs - Oh my!

I have a selection of the most adorable images to play with and I can't wait to get colouring.

If you haven't paid a visit to the Nicecrane Design site; you really should. There is an amazing amount of choice for both folk who love to colour and for folk who prefer images to come ready coloured.

Animals, Flowers, Children, Storybook characters, Vintage images - the choice is fabulous - do go and take a look...

On a slightly different note - the "Campbell Kid's" image that I showed you in the previous post has been put to use...by Ignacio. Playing around with it digitally he came up with this...

...as I'm a complete numpty when it comes to digi stuff like this, I've no idea how he did it but it sure looks clever.

Anyway, now I've shared my news I'm off to do some colouring before I toddle off to bed.

Nite, nite.............................................................................

So what have I done...

...with my week off?

Not a great deal actually...weeeeeeeeell, that's not completely true - I got a fair bit of colouring done.

This is a 'work in progress' - a green version of the image on a card I made a few days ago. I have also coloured this image in mauve and another in aqua...

 ...I just need to have a think now about how I'm going to use them.
This is one of a trio of Saturated Canary images called 'Mistletoe'...

 ...I wanted to keep this to a brown colour scheme so have stuck to the 'E' shades and the 'warm greys' from my Copics.
Does anyone remember the Campbell Kids ? (Campbell's Soup)...

 ...this was a freebie image that Ignacio offered folks over on his Nicecrane Design site - I had fun colouring this and now have to decide what I'm going to make with it.
This little moppet was another of Ignacio's images...

...you can see from the image on the left that my ink was running low in the printer but I think this actually helped with the way I wanted to colour it and how it finally ended up.
We are well into September so Halloween isn't that far away. These were two more freebies that Ignacio gave on his site...

 ...I've had lots of fun colouring these images - and I actually know what I want to use one of them for...

...a Trick or Treat sweetie tin - which would have been nearer completion but I just couldn't find the sort of embellies I had in mind. I now have some Autumn leaves and a selection of spooky buttons so it should be 'all systems go' over the next couple of days.

So not a huge amount of crafting (which I had hoped to have a chance of doing) but I have spent a couple of days with family & friends and on the whole the weather has played nice during these times.

Today I even managed to repair one of my fence panels - some new batten pieces and some capping strips and a pack of screws - and there you have it, a repaired panel and a nicely blistered palm on my right hand...ouch!

Oh well, back to work on Monday................................................

The new office diaries have arrived...

...and they are as boring as ever **rollseyes**

Last week I picked up my new office diary and just like that urban legend about Ford Motors...they come in any colour you want - as long as it is black!

It wasn't always this way. We used to have a massive choice...black...or blue, but for some reason the 'powers-that-be' decided a couple of years ago that we only needed black. Now I can hear you saying "what's the problem with that?" - a diary is a diary is a diary after all.

Well yes, a diary will do its job whatever colour it is but when everyone has identical looking items it is easy to misplace...just because they all look the same.

I was sitting at my craft desk updating my 2013 diary...

...travelling between three different offices every week I need to keep my diary up to date and readily to hand...

...'2013' has been well used and is starting to look a little battered.

For those of you who visit the lovely Julia on her blog the Stamping Ground, you will have noticed a roll of moustache parcel tape. I also have a roll of this tape and a couple of weeks ago Suzie (Weasel) and I 'pimped' some carrier-bags and deeli-boppers so that we conformed to the dress code for the Sugar & Spice 10th birthday celebration...

 ...I just happened to have a couple of deeli-boppers hanging about...

 ...as you do (???)

Well all that 'pimping' didn't use much of the tape so I dug it out and this is what happened to diary 2014...

...a few rows of moustache tape and a bit of washi tape to finish off (the diary isn't tall enough for five rows of moustaches) and then the addition of some silver peel-offs - and there you have it...my personalised diary for the coming work year................................................

To ink or not to ink...

...that is the question.

I have been in love with this stamp for quite some time and finally treated myself to one.

It is the Stampendous Snowy Postcard and I have seen lots of wonderful creations made with it.

Well I wanted to make some vintage look Christmas cards that would be fairly simple and flat for posting purposes...

 ...but I can't make up my mind just how far to go with the Distress inks.
This is a straight forward card stamped in 'gathered twigs' Distress ink on a smooth cream card blank...

 ...the only added colour is at the windows and on the holly using Copic pens.
This one has the added distressing around the edges using 'antique linen' Distress ink...

 ...and a touch of stickles to give a bit of bling.
What I forgot was the fact that Distress inks react with water so the glue in the stickles caused some of the inked image to bleed...

 ...giving it a more 'aged' look but I'm not totally sure.
I'm quite happy with the limited colouring on the Holly...

...the Copics give just a bit of colour without it being 'full in your face'.

I really can't make up my mind which I prefer...the cleaner look or the well 'grunged' look - what do you think...............................................................

Getting ready for...

...the party season.

Last weekend when I visited Pinnacle Crafts, Andy was 'playing' with the "Fabulous Festive Footwear" stamp set...and yes, I had to have a set but more to the point - I had to have the other set of stamps..."Fabulous Festive Fashion".

I really haven't had a great deal of time to play this week so I was quite please to see the grotty wet weather today because it gave me an excuse to play.

Using the Memento Tuxedo black ink pad, I stamped up a few images ready to colour.

I then sat down at my craft table with my Copics and...

 ...coloured the image in traditional Christmas red.
The edges were inked with 'antique linen'...

 ...and mounted on some textured red metallic paper.
I recently came across a stack of 'First Edition Paper' called "Christmas Village"...

 ...and used these papers to matt & layer with the metallic paper. Then added some ribbon, glitter domes and an Angel charm.
This is the completed card...

...I really loved colouring this image. Now I need to give some thought to trying a few different colour-ways..........................................................

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges: -

CHNC Christmas Extra Challenge - September: Anything goes
The Glory of Christmas - Challenge 15: Anything goes
ABC Christmas Challenge - R is for Recipe (3 papers, 2 Ribbons, 1 image)

August's BtCR...

...is up and running.

For those of you who haven't a clue what I'm on about - 'BtCR' stands for "Beat the Christmas Rush". The lovely Sue (Miniowner on UKS) encourages folk to make 5 Christmas cards a month so that they don't end up in a last minute panic.

I was a bit late to the party (this is my 3rd month of taking part) but I have managed a few extra cards along the way, so I'm happy with my progress. Each BtCR month runs from the 25th of the month.

I've already posted one card this month (see previous post) but here I am with the balance...

...as you can see...

 ...I had a bit of a batch make.
The image is from the Papershelter. I have the digi stamp and this pre-coloured version that I printed out a total of eight times (I'm trying to think of something different for the other four).

 The printed images were matt and layered onto white & silver CS and I added a bit of sparkle to highlight the snow & icicles.

The ribbon down the spine of the card is silver-grey satin ribbon by American Crafts (a recent bargain find in TK Maxx. The flowers were punched from some of the silver CS, pearls added to the centres and applied using 3D foam tape.

 I also used some silver peel-offs that I came across during my 'tidying' - some stars, some snowflakes and the 'Merry Christmas'.

On Friday Suzie (Weasel) and I went to the 10th birthday party at "Sugar & Spice". Nina and Barb were merrily demoing away and 'Mummy Barb' was snapping pics of folk who adhered to the dress code of wearing a moustache - (both Suzie & I went armed with our cameras but we were having so much fun we forgot to take any pics LOL).

Marion was running make-&-take sessions giving folk the chance to play with her new creations - Vintage shades WOW embossing powers and silicone moulds.

The light isn't quite good enough to show off the pretty embossing...

...but the powders mixed beautifully with the 'melt-it' to enable me to make this little flower. So this month I have actually completed 6 Christmas cards - and it's only the 8th...LOL

I'd also like to enter the following challenges: -

CraftyHazelnut's - Layer it up (at least 3 layers)
CHNC Extra Christmas Challenge - September Anything Goes
The Glory of Christmas - Challenge 15; Anything Goes
Crafty Cardmakers - Snow & Ice
Sparkles Christmas Challenges - Non-traditional colours

I need to have a think about what I'm gonna come up with for Sue for next month...........................

A bit of a...

...Christmas challenge.

For their latest challenge over on the Polkadoodles meets Studio 12 blog, they were very generously offering a free Angelberry digi - I was sent "Angelberry-dome" to use and this is what I created with her.
The base card is created from pearl card creating an 8.5x8.5 card blank...

...and the layout is based on sketch 82 from the Papertake Weekly site.
I decided on a blue & beige colour scheme and the image was coloured using Spectrum Noir pens.

All the layers were matted on navy pearl card. The background paper is from the Craftwork Cards "Tea Dance collection" - the sheet music design was just what I wanted and as it is from an 8x8 paper stack it fit the card perfectly. The pale blue paper is actually covered in sparkly snowflakes but it doesn't really show up in the photos. It was part of the Papermania "Noel" range.
I made the two rosettes from 1x12 strips of PP which I scored on my Hougie board - stuck to a circle of PP to help them hold their shape and topped with wooden buttons - then edged with crystal ice stickles.

The rose was made from 2" punched 6-petal flowers. The chipboard buttons were a bargain find from the Works.
Why is sparkle always so difficult to capture in a photo?

The wings were given a good dose of stickles but it doesn't show up on here as well as it does in real life.
Plenty of layers and texture on this one...

...not a card for sending through the post LOL

I want to enter this card in the following challenges: -

Polkadoodles meets Studio 12 - Fairytime/week 35
Me & Mine - Beat the Christmas Rush (August)

If you want to have a go at the Polkadoodles challenge I think there is still time for you to request a freebie image. Why not hop over there and take a look..........................................................