Thank you card

This is a card I made using one of the alcohol ink pics I was playing with the other day. The gold really shines out at this angle and makes it look like I used loads, its not that shiny in real life!
I glossy accented the Thank You and used a Papermania background paper. Obviously Tim Holtz inks and stamp 'Paris', with feathers and gem brads from my stash (brads Papermania I think).
This is a Thank You I made for Sarah, a fellow Guider, who really helped me and my 2 eldest girls out last week when I was in a pickle.
Thank you!


x Sally x

Alcohol Inks

Tim Holtz alcohol inks have been introduced to me by Nicci, a friend of mine from WAY back when I had only 1 baby, who happily is into crafting and lives right near me again!
She came round the other night (I am on my own at the moment as Hubby is in Germany teaching) and we played with her alcohol inks, it is something I have never tried. Well, I am hooked!
It is an added bonus that it was Mothers Day in the UK yesterday :D so off we toddled to Scrap Revolution a couple of days ago to see what we could find (it was our first visit to this shop).
Well the wonderful lady had almost everything! She also does crops on a very regular basis so at some point we will be doing one of these!
So quite a few £'s later we left with our goodie bags and brought them home - I resisted so the girls could wrap them up for me for my present tho, aren't I good?! I bought glossy paper, an alcohol ink applicator, some extra felt (must find a cheaper way to get felt!), 4 inks and a pearl ink, glossy accents and a collage stamp (the 3rd one below).
This is a mixture of bits I did the other night with Nicci's bits and what I did yesterday, whilst playing.

I love these collage stamps and the Mona Lisa ('Paris' by Tim Holtz) is one I shall be purchasing for myself asap as I can see it being used very often!

I just need to stop just 'playing' and make them into cards!

You Tube has been a fountain of information videos for me so I am trying lots of techniques.
Happy Crafting Peeps :D

x Sally x

Postcards

I was in WHSmiths the other day and came across these little watercolour postcards! You stamp and watercolour your image on the blank side and as you can see the back is just like an ordinary postcard! What a fab idea ?! So simple and a lovely alternative to making a whole card I think, kind of a bigger ATC!

So out has come my Stazon, new stamps and my watercolour pencils! I am thinking of putting a simple sentiment inbetween the bear and flowers such as 'Thinking of You' or something, not decided yet!

The brand are Winsor & Newton Cotman WaterColour Paper, there 15 cards at 140lbs/300gsm with a cold pressed finish and were either £1.99 or £2.99, I can't remember. Each card is 6 x 4 inches/ 15.2 x 10.2 cm. Bought at WHSmiths, but I am sure there are tonnes of other places they are available from!

Happy crafting!

x Sally x

Some new stamps and watercolours!

Hi all,

Been a while again, just back from my hols and thought I would pop on and share these with you.

The stamps are clear stamps from Daisy and Dandelion, the set is part of the Bubble and Squeak pack. They are just adorable, I had to stand and make a choice :-O when I was in the Range in Plymouth! I wanted them all!

Also here are 2 Forever Friends stamps (apologies for the blurryness!) from the big set I was given as a gift when leaving Gibraltar from my lovely Craft Club ladies - I miss you!!!

My new watercolour pencils are from WHSmiths. I have found my favourite way of colouring in my stamps at last! I used a water brush to blend.

I have also bought some new clear stamps by Papermania from Chaplins in Plymouth, which I will share soon, they are from the Snag'em Stamp Duos range and are very sweet.

We also bought an absolute tonne of fudge from the little olde style sweet shop on the Barbican (where the Mayflower left from to sail to the US in the 1600's) but its WAY too late to share that with you :D hehe!

x Sally x

Gill's new home card

This was the card I made for Gill with little extras in the card itself on the envelope! The papers are from ScrapbookInspirations, the stamps, were part of the £100 goodies with the tote bag previously mentioned and are Anita's.

Cards and goodies!

Here is a card made for one of my hubby's care parcels to Afghanistan, the sentiment inside reads "My love follows you". Used basic gold cardstock and the Papermania 'For Him' papers.

I had to show you this, I paid £29.99 for this! The bag and £100 worth of free crafty yumminess from Stamps! Both Christine and Martine got one too, but unfortunately by the time my daughter went to order one, they ran out so we are scouting around on Ebay and online sales for a bag and crafty goodies for her now!

These are simply adorable, I bought these for the craft club as there is a complete lack of big stamps, aren't they gorgeous? I think these were Stamps.co.uk, also below are 'mini' stamps, great for building up your pictures and making borders. The busy craftclub ladies are having a great time playing with these! We have had a MASSIVE restock and got almost everything off the ladies' wish list so we are doing well! Now when someone says "Do we have.....?" I can say "YES! Right here!".

Also GREAT to see Sue Slater back among us! We've missed you! Especially Christine, I have never seen her so smiley! Hi Sue, Hi Chris!

Talking of craft club, we've decided to go all the way thru the summer, how fab is that? The ladies are enjoying their Wednesdays so much they don't want a summer break! Fine by me cos it gives me a night out a week for adult conversation while hubby is away!

A couple of us have really gotten into scrapbooking now so its quite creative! And yes.... Christmas cards have begun to make an appearance already! I have been asked to make up a few examples so the ladies can copy them so that is my evenings taken up this week!

I have also been busy printing off pictures for my next pages - beach and sea themed, we've been having a great time at the beach in the gorgeous weather we have so my camera has been clicking away for memory preservation and to show hubby what we've been up to!

Anyone who is in my Facebook friends list can see them in full as well as the recent leaving do's I have been to!

Its great to be back in touch with both Gill and Annette, oh how I've missed you! And Gill... you owe me about a fiver in text credit just for last night! lol! Wonderful having you both back in contact, we've been missing you!

Sale, card and Oooh I've been ousted....

...as the no'1 on the Toplisted site!! I really am gonna have to stop linking to other sites on there, haha! Still I don't mind, the top one now is one I linked here a week or 2 ago for being so good and also a couple of others I have listed.
As I go through there is still the odd one that misrepresents itself saying it offers free templates and goodies when it doesn't - just to get you to click on it I suppose, but on the whole, the sites are honest and full of genuine crafty loveliness!!

Talking of which!!!!!! MadaboutCards has a sizzling summer sale!! Woohoo!!! Check it out! Then check it out regularly as they often has mini sales too!

I am having an exciting day - I have been mopping my floor! BUT I did find a little time to create a card whilst ignoring the rest of the housework, hehe!
This was made using generic cardstock from my stash, ribbon from my stash (bought from a shop called Princess Silks in Gibraltar), InkItUp! inks, free stamps from the front of Papercraft Inspirations and Papermania brads.
I have a Karaoke party night to celebrate the end of term with Brownies and Rainbows tonight - 3 and a half hours of it..... wish me luck..... I will take a packet of headache tablets with me!!

Colour Inspiration No6

Ok, managed to find 20 mins for a study break this evening to whip up a card. Its not great but it has the required colours! I decided to go slightly different from everyone else and do quilling.

Hope you like it. Sorry the pic is a little dark!!

Just for you weave

I made this today for a friend. I adapted the idea here from Kristinas blog where she did a weave card for her Make a card Monday this week, which once again is inspirational. I have finally worked my way through her blog and watched her videos and all I want to do now is make cards! Thanks Kristina!

Here is a closer shot of the weave, I had to use what I had available:

Can't sleep...

Well I have been sat here for about an hour and a half :(
Can't sleep.....
I can hear baby stirring upstairs so may get her in a min. I say baby, she is 3. She is MY baby, lol!
While here I have been fiddling with this blog, checking out the DoCrafts site for anything new and catching up with Kristinas blog which is possibly the best crafty blog I have come across yet and believe me I have been searching! I have mentioned this before I think but check it out! There are videos, tutorials and allsorts including links to other great blogs! I can't get enough of it, its inspirational! I have adapted an idea or two to my own cards but WOW! I will never get to her standards! I hope to start joining in the Colour Inspirations challenges soon when I have the confidence but not just yet, lol. I also have different products so will have to adapt those, I haven't been able to source any Stampin' Up or American Crafts products yet apart from on Ebay. Can't afford them yet either but will try and use what I have through Papermania, Dovecraft etc... until I can.
I have a card I will try and upload to the DoCrafts site which uses DoCrafts products - I hope to get this published. I want at least one publish or as Project of the Week by the end of this year, which means I will have to work hard and improve my craftsmanship!
I have a wish list of items, at the top at the mo are:

Stamp-a-majig
Crop-a-dile
Rubberstamps - any lol, but mainly expressions and phrases.

{Sigh} if only, lol. Of course sourcing them is the biggy, I (once again!) have only found them on Ebay, my local craft shop here in Gib doesn't sell them.

That will do now, must go and make baby her choccy chaud. Thats hot chocolate to normal people.......