Just Magnolia - Jay Jay's Sketch & Blog Hop Announcement

Hi girls. Glad to see you here again today. It makes my day to know that you are visiting my blog and I can only hope there is something here to bring pleasure.

Well the minor operation went fairly well yesterday and I am looking forward to a bit less backpain when the injections kick in - they normally take a day or so before I really start to feel the benefit. I would like to thank everybody for they best wishes left in comments and emails yesterday. It's a great comfort to know so many people care.

Well on to the card for today. This was made for the Just Magnolia challenge where we had to follow a fantastic sketch this week put together by Jay Jay. I have used magnolia's "Waiting Tilda" and coloured her with my new Polychromos Pencils. I usually do Tildas with my Copics but I thought I would try the pencils this time. I find using them very relaxing. The papers are " Paper Flair" by Paper Rack and mounted on plain brown card. The image panel is mounted on Brown Bazzil embossed with a Cuttlebug die. The embellishments are all from my stash.

I hope you like this card and can perhaps find time to leave me a comment letting me know what you think. I really appreciate your views and anything you have to say is helpful.

CRAFTY SENTIMENTS BLOG HOP

Crafty Sentiments are having a Blog Hop from 06:00hrs on Monday 1st February to 18:00hrs on Thursday 4th February to introduce a new range of Valentine's stamps. This will be a circular blog with only a few stops so why not join in the fun. There will be candy somewhere along the way. I know there is a lot going on on Monday but please spare a few minutes to take part - it would be great to have you involved.
I hope you all have a great crafting day.
Hugs,

LOTV #45 & Cute Card Thursday #96 & Charisma Cardz #3

Hi girls. A warm welcome to my little space on the Web. I hope you find something here to please the eye and encourage your creative juices.
I have been looking forward to today. I am going into hospital as a day patient to have steriod injections into my spine to alleviate the back pain I have. I get these injections about every 4 months or so and they usually make a big difference for a while. I went in during Christmas week but the procedure did not go according to plan and the needle went into the spinal fluid so they had to abandon and give me arterial blood to stop the fluid leaking and I have been in quite a bit of discomfort since. Hopefully today will put all that right. It may be very late in the day before I can leave comments if at all but I promise I will catch up.
Anyway, enough of my moaning, on to the card. I have decided to enter this card into 3 challenges. Lili of the Valley who provided a great sketch, Cute Card Thursday where the theme was "Fairy Fantastic" and Charisma Cardz who wanted "Fruity Colours". I have used the LOTV stamp "Fairy on Tiptoes" and coloured her using my Copic Ciaos. I love this stamp. I used Dovecraft "Fantasy" designer pack papers and My Mind's Eye "Laundry Line" and mounted them on plain green card. I used plain pink card for cutting out the petals for the handmade flowers. Everything else is from my stash.
If you have the time to spare I would love it if you left a comment to let me know what you think of this card. Your comments are so helpful and encouraging and I love reading them. It's also great to know who has been visiting my blog. Do have a good day and be productive.
Hugs,

Creative Inspirations #44 & Simon Says .... Punch It

Hi girls, thanks for coming over to see what I have on offer for today. I am delighted you could spare the time to drop in. I don't know what your weather is like but having got rid of the snow here it is still pretty cold and very damp and dingy. It's a pleasure to stay indoors and craft.
I made this card to enter into two cahllenges. Creative Inspirations who provided a wonderful sketch to follow and Simon Says .... Punch It. I have inked up my recently aquired Magnolia stamp "Tilda with Bicycle" and coloured her using my Copic Ciaos. The papers are "Laundry Line" by My Mind's Eye and are mounted on green Bazzil. The flowers are handmade and hopefully fulfill the "Punch it" requirement for Simon SAys because they are made up of punched petals of different sizes. The ribbon and the charm are from my stash of goodies.
I enjoyed making this card and I hope you like it enough to leave me a comment to let me know what you think. I love reading your comments and appreciate you taking the time to give your opinions.
I hope you all have a great day whatever you have planned and above all enjoy your crafting and blog hopping.
Hugs,

Papertake Weekly Challenge

Hi ladies. We are going into the last week in January already - Can you believe it? Anyway I'm glad you have called in to see my blog and you are very welcome. I hope that what you find here brings a smile and that you enjoy your time here. I know time is precious so I trust that you feel the time spent here is worthwhile.
I made this card for Papertake Weekly Challenge where the theme was Pretty Pink Papertake, the requirement being a card that was predominantly pink. I have use Lili of the Valley's "Bunnies in Love" and coloured it using my Polychromos Pencils. I used this image a few days ago but thought it deserved another outing. The papers are from a free booklet I got with a magazine and are by My Mind's Eye. They are called "Pretty Please Spring Papers". The pink flowers are by Magnolia, the white flowers are from Hobbycraft. The ribbon is from my stash. I have used one of my new Martha Stewart punches to create the punched borders.
I hope you like this card enough to leave a comment letting me know what you think of it. Your views are valued and I love reading them. I appreciate your kindness in letting me know you have visited.
Please enjoy the rest of your crafting day and go carefully.
Hugs,

Mojo Monday #122 & A Spoon Full of Sugar #87

Hi again - told you I'd be back. Unusually for me this is my second post for the day so please look at my DT card for Crafty Sentiments which is below this one.
I made this card to enter into two cahllenges. Mojo Monday who, as always, provided a great sketch and A Spoon Full of Sugar who wanted "Lots of Layering". I think this fits the bill for that.
The image is by Lynn Dillon for Inkadinkado (and doesn't seem to have a name). I've coloured it using my Copic Ciaos and have added a bit of glitter here and there. I really think it's cute. The backing paper is by Debbi Moore Designs, the striped paper is by My Mind's Eye and the turquoise paper is by Kan ban. I have used a basic black card for the layering. The snowflakes are from punched shapes from a Martha Stewart punch and an Alpine snowflake punch. The sentiment is from Crafty Sentiments.
I hope you like this enough to leave a comment. I do so enjoy reading what you have to say. Have a great day.
Hugs,

Crafty Sentiments DT Card #2

Hi girls. I hope all is well with you today and that you are in for a great days crafting. It's a pleasure to have you visiting here and I hope you find something that brings a smile.
This is my second DT card for the Crafty Sentiments Challenge Blog and follows the fabulous sketch given there. There was an added requirement for a couple of brads which I have put in the corners of the folded corners. Why not pop over there and join in the fun, this is a new challenge blog and we need you to give it a proper lift off by entering a card.
The image is one of the new Crafty Sentiments stamps by Suzette coloured using my Copic Ciaos. The papers are "Bloom and Grow" by My Mind's Eye and GCD "No Worries". The Sentiment is from one of the Crafty Sentiments sets. The flowers are handmade.
I hope you like it and would love you to leave a comment if you have the time. I'll be back later with a card for 2 challenges I'm entering.
Hugs,

Sunday Sketch and Stamp #19 & A Blog Award

Hello there. Glad you found time to visit me here in my little niche in blogland. It's great to have you visit. I hope you find something to make your visit worthwhile.
I made this card for the current Sunday Sketch and Stamp challenge. They provided a fantastic sketch to follow and I hope you like my interpretation of it. I inked up the Lili of the Valley "Bunnies in Love". I think it's one of the cutest stamps around and I coloured it using my Polychromos Pencils. The paper is both sides of "Old Olive" papers by Stampin Up and the mounts are pale green Bazzil. I used an MS Arch border punch on one edge and the embellishments are from my stash. I have also used Glimmer Mist iredescent gold.
I enjoyed making this card so I hope you like it enough to take the time to leave a comment. I get such a lot out of reading what you have to say and it helps me to know what you think works or doesn't work.

A BLOG AWARD

I have been given this blog award by my friend Mandy at Crafty Fox Cards. I am really thrilled with this one because I'd never seen it before. Thank you very much Mandy.
Now for the difficult bit. The conditions for accepting this are that I tell you 10 things that give me pleasure and pass it on to 10 blogging friends. That wasn't too difficult because Mandy had given it to some of the people I would have had in my shortlist so some of the heartache of having to choose between people was taken away.
Right 10 things that bring me pleasure:

1. My best friend for 40 years, my husband.
2. Our 2 Sons and Daughters in law.
3. Our 3 Grandchildren.
4. Our extended family on boths sides - we are all very close.
5. Christian Friends
6. Cardmaking
7. Blogging friends
8. Reading comments they leave.
9. The garden in Summer.
10. A tidy house

The ten people I want to pass this on to are:

• Tracy at Country Mouse
• Sarah at Lil-Paper-Pixie
• Linda at Payne Holler Cards
• Avril Ann at Crafting in the Shed at the Bottom of the Garden
• Teri at Teri's Cards and Toppers
• Angie at Lilicanglia
• Donna at Popsicle Toes
• Mina at Pinkpuds
• Cheryl ay My Cardmaking Haven
• Linby ay Crafty Linby

I am grateful for your taking the time to visit and I hope you will have a pleasant day in whatever you choose to do.
Hugs,

Penny Black #84 & Secret Crafters #66

Hi there girls, great to see you here visiting my wee blog. It never ceases to amaze me that so many of you come back on a regular basis and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support. I hope you continue to find something worth visiting for.
I have made this card to enter into two challenges. This week's Penny Black challenge wanted a colour combo of Blue, Cream and Gold and of course a PB image, while Secret Crafters had a "Musical" theme. Hopefully this card fulfils these criteria.
The image is Penny Black's "Ode to Joy" coloured using my recently purchased Polychromos Pencils. I really find these so relaxing to use. The paper is Blue Bazzil. The embellishments are all from my stash and yes that is a peel off border you see (well I got to use it up somehow).
I hope you like this card and I would love it if you could find time to leave a comment - I love reading them.
Wishing you a great day blogging and crafting.
Hugs,

Friday Sketchers #85 & Just Magnolia -Thank You

Hi Girls. Isn't this month flying in. They say it's a sign of old age Lol. Thanks for calling by, it's great to have you here and as always I hope you find something to make your day.
I made this card for Friday Sketchers, following the great sketch they provided and Just Magnolia where they required a Thank You card.. The image is Magnolia's "Tilda with Bluberries" coloured using my trusty old Copic Ciaos. The papers are from the new Magnolia Ink range - A Little Yummy for my Tummy - "Blueberries" and "Blueberry Dots" plus a free shiny grey paper I had in my stash on which everything is mounted. I thought about using silver Mirra Board instead but settled for the grey. The flowers are, as always, handmade and everything else is from my stash.
I would be grateful if you had time to leave a comment letting me know your views on this card. I love reading what you have to say and I find your input invaluable. It is really appreciated.
I hope you have a great day and enjoy blogging and cardmaking.
Hugs,

Lili of the Valley #44 & Charisma Cardz #2

Hello girls. Great to have you visiting here today. I hope you find it an uplifting experience. I know I get a lot of inspiration visiting the blogs I visit regularly. I trust you will find something you like.
It's still bitterly cold here although the snow has all but disappeared. there seems to be a lot of people with chest colds and there is also a sickness bug doing the rounds so I think being confined to barracks for so long hasn't been a bad thing. Reading your blogs there seem to be quite a few of you under the weather and I hope you all feel better soon.
I made this card to enter two challenges. Lili of the Valley who required a "Thank You" card based on one of their stamps and Charisma Cardz who wanted us to use "Anything New".
Well. I have inked up the LOTV stamp "Little Girls Swing Time" for the very first time and coloured it using my new Polychromos pencils. The papers are all Basic Grey "Granola" and the ribbon and embellishments are all from my stash. I also introduced some distressing to the papers to give a more textured feel to the card.
If you have anything you want to say about this card I would love you to leave me a comment. Your opinions are valued and I like to hear what you like and don't like about any of my cards. If by any chance you are leaving a comment for the first time I will call back to your blog to return the compliment.
Please have a good day and enjoy your crafting.
Hugs,

Whiff of Joy #62

Hi all. Welcome to my blog. Thank you for visiting and hopefully by the time you leave you will be thinking that this is time well spent. If you find something to please the eye and give you the urge to create for yourself I will be happy. The snow has all but gone and the garden is now showing how much clearing needs to be done between now and spring. the grass is sodden after all the melted snow so it will take a while to recover.
Anyway, that's hubby's job so I get on with the crafting. This is the card I made for the latest Whiff of Joy challenge where Jane has given us a wonderful sketch to follow. I have used WOJ's "Willow with Basket of Flowers" and coloured here using my Copic Ciaos. The papers are Background Papers Book 3 "Springtime" by Crafty Individuals. The flowers are handmade. I found my Cuttlebug Corner Die while tidying up so I decided to give it another outing.
I really hope you can spare a minute to leave a comment to let me know what you think of this card.I love reading what you have to say and find your comments very helpful.
I trust that you will have a successful day no matter what you intend doing but above all enjoy your crafting.
Hugs,

Cupcake Craft Challenge #73

BLOG CANDY WIN

Before I get to my card I must say a humungous thanks to Mandy over at Crafty Fox Cards for the Candy I won in her mega giveaway. I was fortunate enough to win the main prize. Thank you Mandy for the prize and a huge thanks for your support and encouragement over the last few months.

Hi girls it's great to have you visiting here today. I trust that you will like what you see. Good news apart from my candy win is that the snow has almost all gone. Woopee, I'll be able to get out and about again.
I made this card to enter the Cupcake Craft challenge where the theme was "Going Girly". I have actually based on the wonderful sketch provided by Mojo Monday last week. I have used "Dahlia" from the Greetings Farm and coloured her using my Copic Ciaos. The papers are from My Mind's Eye and are "Lil Girl" and "Letting it all hang out" from the Laundry Line paper stack. The flowers are made by Magnolia and are part of the Christmas stash I bought at Stampaholics in Perth.
It would be great if you could spare time to let me know what you think of this card by leaving a comment. I do so enjoy reading them and finding out what you like and don't like. Thanks for your time and do have a great day in whatever you are doing.
Hugs,

Crafty Sentiments DT Card #1

Hi girls. Thanks for popping over to my wee blog - your visit is appreciated. I just hope you like what you find here. Well the snow has had a real fright today and most of it has now gone another couple of days like this and it will be a memory.

This is the first day that Crafty Sentiments has published a challenge and if you visit the blog you will find a wonderful sketch put forward by Suzette. As a new challenge site it's success depends entirely on people participating so why not add it to your list of regular challenge blogs and give it a bash. All the more the merrier.

This is my DT card for this week's challenge. The image is Crafty Sentiments "Snowman Frost" and the greeting is from the Crafty Sentiments set "Let it Snow". The papers are "Wintersong - My Woolly Scarf" by SEI, Basic Grey's "Eskimo Kisses - Alpine" and the reverse side of "Merry Days of Christmas - Santa's Forest" by My Mind's Eye. The ribbon and beads are from my stash and the flowers are handmade.

Please feel free to comment on this card. I would love to have your input because I love reading your comments and get so much help and encouragement from them.

Have a great Crafting day and get on over to Crafty Sentiments to join the fun.

Hugs,

Winter Wonderland #33 Plus Announcement

Welcome to my little blog. I am so pleased that you have popped in and I hope you like what you see. The snow is definitely on the retreat and parts of the garden are beginning to reappear. If it keeps thawing I should be able to get out and about again in a few days - I should be so fortunate.
This card was made for the Winter Wonderland Challenge where there was a wonderful sketch to follow. I decided to ink up a Penny Black stamp called "Coming your Way". I love these PB stamps with the hedgies - I think that they are really cute. The papers are Basic Grey's "Eskimo Kisses" and "Merry Dots" from My Mind's Eye. I cut the gold Mirra corners with a Cuttlebug folder and the other embellies are all from my stash.
It's a great comfort to know that I now have a Christmas card up my sleeve already. Maybe I won't end up in the rush I had in 2009.
Thanks for coming by and please leave a comment so that I know you've been. Any views you want to express are welcomed. It helps to know what people like and don't like. Your valuable time is appreciated.

Announcement - New Crafty Sentiments Challenge Blog

Tomorrow, Sunday 17th January, Crafty Sentiments are launching a new Weekly Challenge. Why not give it a chance and pop over tomorrow to join in the fun. Without your participation it will not be a success.

Enjoy your crafting and blogging day.
Hugs,

Secret Crafter #65

Good morning to all in blogland. Thank you for calling in to see my creations, I hope you find something to make your visit worthwhile.
We've had more snow here in the last 24 hours and although the temperature has risen to just above freezing the white stuff is still hanging on. That's four weeks now and the novelty has definately worn off. Still on the bright side, if I can't go out I can always craft away indoors.
I have sometimes wondered if my cards are too busy so I thought I would give the "less is more" strategy a try but when I look at this card I am thinking I have maybe overdone it - there's not much here. I didn't even put a sentiment on it - I might keep it for a man card further down the line.
Anyway I am entering this into the Secret Crafters challenge and it is based on the great sketch they provided. I have used an Inkadinkado stamp and actually double stamped it to give a bit of depth to the image. The papers are Bazzil and Rayher Hobby GmbH. The ribbon is new from Stampaholics in Perth.
I really need your views on this one so if you can spare a minute please leave a comment to let me know what you think. It would really be appreciated.
I hope you have a successful day crafting and blogging and keep safe when your out and about if you are sharing this weather.
Hugs,

Friday Sketchers #84 & Cute Card Thursday #95

Hello everyone. Thanks for calling in to see me here. I'm really chuffed that you have taken the trouble to visit. I don't know if it's something to do with age but I feel that January is flying in alarmingly quickly. The best of it is that hubby still hasn't been able to bring in all the outside Christmas lights because of the snow and his chest infection although they are obviously not switched on any longer. If it takes much longer he'll be suggesting that we just leave them out till next Christmas Lol.
I went to Stampaholics in Perth today to spend the gift vouchers Hubby gave me for Christmas and I got a load of goodies including a box set of Polychromos pencils, a large Martha Stewart Border Punch, a set of Nestie Labels and a Tilda as well as lots of embellies and papers. Can't wait to get stuck in with them.
I put this card together to enter the Friday Sketchers challenge. I really liked their sketch this week. I am also entering it to Cute Card Thursday where the theme is "Pink & Grey". The image is an old friend called "Pringle" from Sugar Nellie, coloured as usual with my Copic Ciaos. The papers are an unnamed grey stripe and the grey swirl is from Rayher Hobby GmbH. I made the flowers from plain pink cardstock and sprayed them with Glimmermist - unfortunately in my enthusiasm Pringle got a misting as well, silly me. I hope it doesn't spoil the effect.
If you have time I would love you to leave a comment to let me know what you think. Your opinions and advice are appreciated and I love hearing from you. Have a great day in whatever you are doing and keep safe.
Hugs,

Just Magnolia - Paper Pleating

Good Morning girls. Another day dawns in blogland and the snow is still lying outside. The solar lights in the garden have just appeared so we must be down to our last 8" as it melts. Our wee dog is even venturing up the garden again. She loves snow but when it's up to her shoulders it is a bit much for her. Anyway, thank you very much for visiting me again. Your company over the last few weeks has really helped to cheer me up while we have had this dismal spell of weather. I've been stuck in most of the time - crutches and 12" of snow don't go together really.
This card was made for Just Magnolia's Special Monthly Challenge where the requirement was for Paper Pleating. Mina from Pinkpuds left a great tutorial on the Just Magnolia blog which was easy to follow - thanks Mina. I inked up Magnolia's "Tilda with Flower" and coloured her using my Copic Ciaos. The papers are Basic Grey's "Wisteria" and I used a plain sheet for the middle section of the card and pleated two side panels. The flowers and embellishments are all from my stash. It was great fun to make this card. I hope you like it.
It would be great if you could find time to leave me a comment to let me know what you think. I would value your opinions on this card since I haven't done anything like this before. In any case please keep safe and have a happy and productive crafting day.
Hugs,

Sugar Bowl Challenge #26

Hi Girls. Glad to see that the weather seems to be settling down a bit and we have actually lost some of our snow today. It's great to have you visiting my blog and it would be even better if you found something you liked or that gave you some inspiration.
I am entering this card into the Sugar Bowl challenge where they gave us an interesting sketch to follow. I inked up "Windswept" which is one of my favourite stamps and I coloured her using my trusty Copic Ciaos. The papers are in fact all shades of Bazzil card. I used a new butterfly punch I got for Christmas from my son John and his wife Sarah (Lil-paper-pixie) to cut the butterflies for each corner and made some flowers as embellishments. The body of each butterfly is a small gem.
I really hope you like this enough to encourage you to leave a comment. I so love reading your views and opinions on my cards and get so much encouragement from them. Thank you very much for calling in today and whatever you do today I hope you enjoy yourself.

Hugs,

A Spoon Full of Sugar #85 & New Releases

Welcome to my little blog - it's great to have you here. I really wish that having taken the trouble to visit you find something that makes you visit worthwhile. If you find something to please the eye, great but if you find something to get the mojo juices moving, even better.

Another day with no snow falling but the old stuff shows no sign of disappearing. It is still really cold outside - not that I have been out. Still it gives all the more excuse for staying in and spending time in the craftroom - you know what the say "It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good".
I made this card for the current Spoon Full of Sugar challenge where the theme was "Hearts". It was a great opportunity to ink up Magnolia's "Tilda with Hearts" which this time is coloured using some Polychromos pencils that I used for the first time and I must admit I found them very relaxing to use. I have in fact mixed in some Copic Ciaos as well. I cut round Tilda and mounted her on top of the card. The papers are GCD Studio's "No Worries" and an unknown yellow paper with hearts on it. I manufactured a frame from a hearts border cut using a Martha Stewart punch and placed it over the papers.
I enjoyed making this card and hope that you find it pleasing. Perhaps you will have time to leave a comment to let me know. I love reading your input and find your views very helpful.

COMING RELEASES FROM CRAFTY SENTIMENTS

I thought I would give you a quick preview of the next two images coming from Crafty Sentiments, they should be available shortly. Why not give the shop a visit.

I hope you have a very happy and productive crafting day.

Hugs,

Sketch & Stash #26 and Award

Hi to all you girls out there in Blogland. I am really pleased you have found your way to my blog and I sincerely hope you find something to whet the crafting appetite. More snow here today in Kinross - serves me right for wishing for a white Christmas - don't think I've ever had a white Easter, at least not yet. Hope all is well where you are.

I made this card for the latest Sketch and Stash challenge. The stamp and the flower embellishments are both new - at least the flowers are, the image was borrowed while I was down at Sarah's. It is Penny Black's "Hugs & Kisses for You" and was coloured using her Promarkers. This stamp is no longer generally available but I must browse the net to see if I can find one - I think it's beautiful. The papers are all Bazzil card and everthing else except the flowers which were bought while at Sarah's are from my stash.

I hope you will find a minute to leave a comment telling me what you think of this card. I so love reading them.

KREATIVE BLOGGER AWARD

I was really chuffed to be given this award by Lynn across at Crafty Linby between Christmas and New Year. She has been a longstanding source of inspiration and encouragement which makes this all the more pleasing. Although I have this one already I really appreciate the thought and have decided to pass it on to two young crafters who have just started up their own blogs but have already produced some beautifully crafted cards, They are:

Georgina at Georgina's Crafting Dream
and
Sydney at Sydney's Creations

I hope this award will offer some encouragement for them to continue producing great cards. Enjoy girls.

Apparently a condition of this award is to list 7 things you might not know about me (I think we could excuse the girls this if they find it difficult) so here goes.
1. A number of years ago I was winched up off the rear deck of Lerwick's Lifeboat by the Coastguard helicopter during a training exercise and winched back down again an hour later.
2. One of my previous hobbies was Cake Decorating.
3. God willing I will celebrate my Ruby Wedding Anniverary in June.
4. I am over 60 and have never had a nosebleed.
5. I have never seen an episode of Coronation Street.
6. My husband proposed to me on Christmas Day when I was in Hospital in 1968. He says he ran out of conversation during the extended visiting which lasted 4 hours.
7. Before I started blogging I couldn't even switch a computer on.

Well that's it. I hope you enjoy your day's crafting.
Hugs,