Winter Wonderland Week #22 - Open Theme

Hello one and all. Hope you are all well and producing wonderful cards for me to look at later.

This has not been a good day at all. I woke up feeling very sore and unfortunately was never going to be able to travel up to Aberdeen and back to see Debbi - most disappointing, and Sarah, bless her, didn't want to leave me so she didn't go either.

I made this card for Winter Wonderland challenge which offered an open theme this week. The stamps are by Inkadinkado. The Santa is from 99507 (Holiday Sentiments) and the sentiment is from 99466. I did a similar card recently but did this one in red to match the backing paper by Kars Speciality paper pad - Xmas Collection. The snowflakes are from a nestability set and the rest is from my stash (now a bit bigger since Sarah and I visited Stampaholics in Perth). I really like these Inkadinkado stamps and I hope you think they make a good card. Please fell free to leave a comment if you have time. I really love reading them. Thanks for having a look.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Allsorts Challenge #24 - Furry Friends

Hello girls, I hope all is going well for you and yours. I'm having a great time with the family and today Sarah and I went to a class in Stampaholics in Perth where Siobhan showed us how to make two gorgeous cards - we had a great time - Sarah has published one on her blog so why not have a look see.

I always like to get something for nothing and when I found this stamp as a freebie in one of my recent cardmaking mags (can't remember which one - I do get quite a few!!!) I fell in love with it and had to use it. I fitted in with the theme of "Furry Friends" for the Allsorts challenge so here it is. This is the first time I have entered this challenge. I didn't use any papers on this card and used card instead. The white card is embossed with the Snowflake folder in my Sizzix. The only thing from my stash is the ribbon, the flowers and snowflake are made with nesties and sizzix diecuts. The sentiment is another one from one of Suzette's Christmas sentiment sets available at Crafty Sentiments. You should pop over there and have a look at the sets she has on offer.
If you have time I would love it if you left a comment on this card because I get so much from reading them.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Just Magnolia Week 28

Good morning girls - another day dawns in Blogland and all is well I hope.
We've had a great family day today so I am full of the joys.

I made this card for the Just Magnolia Challenge and decided to go all burgandy. I apologise for the quality of the photograph but I had difficulty getting even a half decent photo of the large rose, it was such a deep burgandy colour. The image is "Tilda with Flower" and she is coloured in using my Copic Ciaos, which are now at the stage I'm having to refill some of them. The papers are all from Basic Grey's "Eva" collection which I quite like, although I always find working with stripey papers difficult to make sweet to the eye. The embellishments and sentiment are from my stash (which will no doubt grow this week when Sarah is here,lol). The rose is a very deep burgandy and I hope it has come out on the photograph so that you can see its detail.
I look forward to reading any comments that you might be kind enough to leave for me if you have time. I am always so grateful for them.
Hugs,
Fiona x

Sugar Bowl Challenge Week 22

I am really excited - the family are almost here. I am really looking forward to the next few days and although my blog visiting might be a bit erratic I promise to get round my regular blogs as often as I can and catch up. Please bear with me.

The Sugar Bowl challenge this week had a fabulous sketch and I was so looking forward to doing it but I am a bit disappointed with the outcome. It's not what I was trying to achieve - it has turned out a bit bland I feel.

I used Sugar Nellie's "Windswept" and coloured her with copic Ciaos shades of brown and tan. The papers are Nancy Watt's Summer collection and Rayher's Hobby Gmbh. I also used an unknown gold metallic paper that was a nightmare to cut. I tried a new cutting blade and scissors but still had difficulty. If anyone has tips on how to work these thin metallics I would love your advice. The flowers and other embellishments are from my stash.

Your comments will, as always, be appreciated and I hope you can find a minute to let me know what you think.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Simon Says "Get Well Soon"

Hi girls hope everything is going well with you and yours. I am entering this card into the Simon Says "Get Well Soon" challenge. I opted to go with a Magnolia stamp "Tilda with Flowers" but unfortunately I have absolutely no idea what the papers are. I am afraid that my early filing system, before I started blogging, has left me with a large stock of papers with no identifying marks. The ribbon, flowers and sentiment are all from my stash.
I have been thrilled with the comments I have been getting lately and I do really appreciate you taking the time to leave a note. I hope that you like this enough to continue.
Hugs,
Fiona x

A Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge #74

Welcome to my blog girls, I hope you are all well and thoroughly refreshed after your extra hour in bed yesterday (at least those in the UK).
I'm looking forward to this week because my son and DIL are coming up for a few days and we will all be visiting my other son and DIL and granddaughter and grandson on Wednesday so the whole family will be together. Then on Friday Sarah (Lil-paper-pixie) and I are visiting Debbi (Wiccababe) - a proper bloggers get together.
Well on to the card, made for A Spoon Full of Sugar challenge. I decided to try to use the colours in the four squares to represent Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. I used papers from Basic Grey's Indian Summer collection to achieve that effect hopefully. The stamp is Sugar Nellie's "Reflective". All the embellishments are from my stash of delightful goodies.
I hope I've delivered with this one because I enjoyed making it but I'll look for any comments you are kind enough to leave with interest.
Have a nice day.
Hugs,
Fiona x

Mojo Monday #109

Good morning again girls. I was showing hubby the comments some of you made about him yesterday and he is embarrassed. I hope you haven't stopped him buying me surprise goodies again.

This card is for Mojo Monday and for me I think it's a bit sparse but I am trying for the "less is more" effect. I used Sugar Nellie's "Little Artist" - one of my favourites, in case you haven't noticed already. The papers are from the Meridian Import Company and Rayher - designed by Celina Di Pisa. The few embellishments there are have come from my stash.

I hope my minimalist approach with this card appeals to you but I'll await to hear your valuable comments.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Winter Wonderland Week #21 - The Christmas Stocking

Hello girls. I had a lovely surprise today. Hubby went into Perth on his own this morning on business and came back with a new set of Nestability snowflakes for me (bought at Stampaholics of course). I had no idea he was going for them - he really is my best pal.

Anyway - to the card. I've decided that its time that I got some more Christmas cards done so I've opted for the Winter Wonderland challenge this week where the theme was "The Christmas Stocking". It gave me a chance to use a new stamp from Penny Black called "Xmas Mouse", coloured as usual with my Copic Ciaos. The papers are by Bo Bunny and are "Tis the Season - Snow Flakes". It's a double sided paper and I have used both sides. All the embellishments, except the sentiment, are from my stash, all purchaced at Stampaholics in Perth. The sentiment was homemade using Microsoft Word on my laptop.

I feel a bit easier now that I have a few Christmas cards up my sleeve and I hope you like this one. Please don't hesitate to leave me your views if you have time to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Penny Black Week 71 & Secret Crafters #54

Friday again and another week nearly over and the weekend to look forward to. Must catch up on my cardmaking, I've had a couple of lazy days this week. I hope you are all well. I know that one or two of the girls I follow are having it a bit rough at the minute and lets hope things pick up for them.

I decided to have a go at the Penny Black challenge sketch this week and when I saw that the theme for Secret Crafters was to "Dig Deep" I got down to the bottom of the stamp drawer and dragged up this PB stamp called "Blush". This is one of the first stamps I bought over a year ago. The stamp was inked using Dee Gruenig Signature series blending blox shades of yellow for the stamens, Momento Grape jelly for the petals and Marvy matchables inkpad for the stem & leaves. The papers are Basic Grey Wisteria and an unknown purple one. The sentiment is from Suzette's "Just Sayings Set 1" available over at Crafty Sentiments. The other embellishments are from my stash.
I really enjoyed doing this card and I hope you like it. Your views, as always, are welcome so please feel free to comment if you can spare the time.
Hugs,
Fiona x

Just Magnolia Week 27 & Friday Sketchers #74

Well ladies, another day another dollar. I hope all is well with you and that the creative juices are flowing freely. I am excited today because my grandson Jonathan is coming up from Solihull on his own for a few days before his mum & dad come next Tuesday. Should be a great week and a half ahead.

I am entering this card into two challenges. It is based the sketch for Friday Sketchers and the theme of "Bright and Zingy" for Just Magnolia. The stamp is Magnolia's "Dreamy Tilda" coloured using the old Copic Ciaos and the papers are from Basic Grey's Indian Summer collection - I love these papers but I must say that the middle paper with the curved lines makes it difficult to make things eye sweet.
The embellishments were actually bought in Melbick's Garden Centre near Solihull when Hubby and I were down visiting my eldest son and daughter-in-law (Lil-paper-pixie) earlier this year.
I hope you think this card has the necessary zing and would love to hear your views. Your opinions and comments are always valued. Have a good day crafting.
Hugs,
Fiona x

Sugar Bowl Challenge #21

Good morning ladies. Is all well with you today? - I hope so. I must apologise that I didn't do much blogging yesterday but it just wasn't a good day at all. Fortunately I had this card scheduled already so I was able to rest up a bit.

It was time to get the old Nellies out for this latest Sugar Bowl challenge and I have chosen to use the "Fish Bowl" from the Home Grown Series, coloured in using my Copic Ciaos. I love this wee chap but can't help thinking that the stool is anything but stable and I fear that goldfish could be an endangered species. The papers are all from the same pad but I've lost the cover so I don't have a clue what they are called - if anyone recognises them could you please help me out here because I really like these and would like to get them again sometime. The flowers and bling are all from the stash.

Your comments, as always, are more than welcome. They are so encouraging and helpful so please keep them coming.

Have a creative day - I love visiting to see what you all produce and will hopefully manage a full sweep of my regular blogs today.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Simon Says.....Sketch by Domi & Crafty Creations #37 - "Blue"

Another Tuesday (or to put it another way - another day of aquatherapy torture) dawns and I hope this finds you all well in the wonderful land of cardmaking. I hope you have all made some wonderful cards for me to see when I visit you later on.

This card was made for Simon Says ... Sketch by Domi and Crafty Creations #37 where the theme was "Blue. I thought a Christmas Card would be ideal and that would give me the opportunity to use some of my new Inkadinkadoo stamps (bought from Stampaholics in Perth - where else?). I used the Snowman from 99507 and Merry Christmas from 99466.

The paper is from KARS Christmas Collection Speciality Pad. I fell in love with this paper when I saw it and have been torn between using it and keeping it to stroke - the deed is now done. Snowflakes from Kay & Company - Swell Noel layered accents. Ribbon and gems from my stash . I really enjoyed making this one and hope you like it enough to let me know what you think of it. You might have to zoom in to see some of the detail on the paper - I'm not sure the photo does it justice. Your comments are always appreciated.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Spoon Full of Sugar #73 & Copic Colour Challenge #35

Good Morning one and all. I hope you had a restful weekend charging up the old creative batteries ready for another busy crafting week. I'm looking forward to seeing all your creations for inspiration and ideas.

On this card I have combined the Sketch for A Spoon Full of Sugar with the colour combo required for the Copic Colour Challenge. I used papers from Basic Grey's Euphoria Delerium combined with the stamp from Bild Malarnas called "Mimosa: Alota of Hearts". She is coloured using the required Go2 - Spectrum Green, BG05 - Holiday Blue, and R27 - Cadmium Red colours. Fortunately my Copic Ciaos sets had all the colours. I think the paper was a fair match. The flowers, fronds, bling and sentiment are all from my stash.

I hope you like this one and I can assure you that I will appreciate any comments you are kind enough to leave for me. I look forward to seeing them.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Mojo Monday Week #108

Good Morning ladies, the first day of the week again and the autumn is well and truely settling in. The trees are all turning colour up here and shedding their leaves so I thought it was time for a nice summery card just to remind myself of what was. Any excuse to get back to my favourite pinks.

The sketch for the latest Mojo Monday challenge was great as usual so I grasped the opportunity to use another of my new Inkadinkadoo stamps (from Stampaholics in Perth) and I used 98973 which I embossed using an embossing tool (unfortunately it doesn't show well on the photo but trust me I did, honest!). I used Copic Ciaos to colour the petals. I don't have a clue where I got the papers - they were in my drawer and the embellies are all from the stash of goodies I hide from hubby.lol.

I really hope this appeals to you enough for you to leave a comment. I am truely grateful for your opinions.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Crafts 4 Eternity #53

This week Crafts 4 Eternity gave a great sketch but added the requirement for a Black & Purple colour combo. I used a "Forever Friends" image coloured with my Copic Ciaos and instead of using backing papers I used card for everything. The top black panel is embossed using the Cuttlebug embossing folder. The purple card has been punched using a fiskers combined corner and border punch. The ribbon and embellishments are from my stash. The sentiment was made on my laptop using Microsoft Word.

I am sending it to my youngest son who has just achieved a "Gold" standard pass on his advanced motorcycling test.

I hope you like the overall effect of this card and I would love it if you could give me your views on what was a fairly simple card to make.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Penny Black Week 70 - Buttons & Bows

Hi Blogland, I hope you are all chock full of mojo and madly crafting. I am afraid I had a bit of a rest yesterday and didn't do a lot of blog visiting amd commenting. I will try to catch up.

My granddaughter, Ellie, came for a visit and wanted to make cards with grandma. We had a great time making a halloween card that she took home for her mummy.

I made this card for the Penny Black challenge. The theme was "Buttons and Bows" and I chose a Christmas card as a basis. The image is Penny Black's "Wishes for Kisses" coloured as usual with my Copic Ciaos. The papers are Colourful Christmas by My Mind's Eye. The buttons and ribbons are from my stash. The sentiment is from one of the new Christmas sets available from Suzette over at Crafty Sentiments.

I hope it brings you a wee bit of Christmas cheer and that you will leave a comment or two. Reading them is one of the highlights of the day.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Just Magnolia Week #26

Good morning again ladies. I hope that you are all well out there in Blogland. Many of my favourite crafters have been under the weather lately so I hope things are improving for you.

This is my card for entry into the Just Magnolia challenge and gives me the opportunity to use one of my favourite Tildas, "Tilda with Dalecarlian Horse". She is coloured using my Copic Ciaos.

A wee bit of "Googling" tells me that the real Dalecarlian horse (pictured above) - the symbol of Sweden - is manufactured in only one place on Earth, in the little village Nusnäs by the Lake Siljan in Dalecarlia, Sweden, not far from Mora. Probably a piece of trivia but I thought it was interesting.

Anyway, back to the card. The papers are by Laura Ashley and the embellishments are all from my stash. (Hubby says my stash is merely an extension of Stampaholics in Perth). I enjoyed doing this card and I hope you like it. Please feel free to leave a comment - your opinions are greatly valued.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Cute Card Thursday #81 & Charisma Cardz #40

Good morning ladies. Feeling a bit better this morning because there is no aquatherapy today and I can spend a bit more time in card therapy.
This card is being entered into two challenges:
Cute Card Thursday #81 - "So Charming", requires a charm on the card and,
Charisma Cardz #40 which is a recipe - 1 Ribbon, 3 Flowers, 3 Papers and 1 Charm.
The papers are all from the Basic Grey Porcelain paper pad. The charm, ribbon and flowers are all from my stash. The sentiment is from Suzette at Crafty Sentiments - "Just Sayings Set 1" - why not pop over and see what else she has available.

The image is "Tilda with Hearts" by Magnolia and is coloured using my Copic Ciaos. I hope you like her. I do love my Tildas.

If you have any comments you would like to leave then please do not hesitate. I get so much encouragement from them.

Hugs,

Fiona x

Crafty Creations #36 "All Shades of Pale" & Creative Inspirations #30

By the time you see this card I will either have been to my aquatherapy and be totally goosed or will be up to my neck in a warm swimming pool with my poor husband trying to support me while I go through the exercise routine. Great fun first thing in the morning - I don't think. He keeps telling me it will all be worthwhile and I try to believe him.

Anyway, to the card making. I have entered this card into two cahllenges. It is based on the sketch for Creative Inspirations #30 and is coloured to satisfy the criteria for Crafty Creations #36 which is "All Shades of Pale".

The image is my Penny Black "Water Lily Skiing" and is coloured using Copic Ciaos. The base paper is a freebie from a magazine and the other papers are Basic Grey's Pattern Paper, Euphoria Elysian and Paper Pizazz's Green and their Pink Plaid. Everything else is from my stash.

I would love it if you left a comment or two to let me know what you think of this one. I really value your opinions and advice.

Hugs,

Fiona x

I've been given an award

I've been given this award today by Angie at Handmade by Lilacanglia who is not feeling very well at the minute which makes me appreciate it all the more. One of the conditions attached to accepting this award was to pass it on to five other bloggers and I have chosen the following five:

Linda at ........Payne Holler Cards - she has been a great encouragement to me from the other side of the world.

Tracy at Country Mouse - she has been a very faithful follower of my blog since I started.

Gracie at Dancing Angel - a multi-talented young lady.

Sarah at Lil-paper-pixie - she started me off on this whole journey,

and

Debbi at The Crafty Cuttings of Wiccababe - because I like visiting her blog.

I would recommend a visit to all of these ladies' blogs - you will not be disappointed.

Hugs,

Fiona x