Happy New Year

I would like to raise a toast, I had a really rough year with a lot of losses in my family. It has been really hard to get through. However Amandeep came into my life, and made 2009 not bad after all. A ray of sunshine. I am engaged to him and set to marry him in October 2010. Here is to a much better 2010!!!!

Happy New year to all. Hope you have a brilliant time tonight counting down the clock.

And also thank you for following me, leaving me comments throughout the year, I truly appreciate you doing so and hope you continue to do so in 2010.

Happy New Years

2009 In Cards

I have been very inspired by the work of Kath, and her beautiful blog. She has asked her followers to post a card for each month. So i gave it go, however I do not have a card for March, May or November, so i posted a 2nd favourite card from other months.

JANUARY

Forever Friends - Bunch Of Daises Stamp & Papermania Floral Clear Stamps

FEBRUARY

Marie Curie 2009 Stamp Set

MARCH

Marie Curie 2009 Stamp Set

APRIL

Papermania Duo Stamp Present / Bday Greeting & CCSR Doodle Stamp Set

MAY

Marie Curie 2009 Stamp Set

JUNE
Jessie Edwards Boutique Stamp Set

JULY

Anita's Christmas Peel Off Stickers

AUGUST

Home For Christmas Stamp Set

SEPTEMBER

Anita's Cute n Cuddly Stamp Set

OCTOBER

Daisy and Dandelion QVC Kit

NOVEMBER

Forever Friends Chirstmas Sparkle Set

DECEMBER

Daisy and Dandelion QVC Kit

So what do you think?

Be Chic V Sparkle Creations

AFTER

BEFORE

I have made this card for the Stampin Be Chic Challenge with a Christmas Theme. Do check out the blog here and the beautiful work from the design team. If you do have the new or the old stamps, do enter their challenges as some of them come with a prize.

I stamped the small star using the brush markers behind the girl in blue and on the paper in red - as a snowflake. I sketched my own santas hat and added that to the Girl. The rest is shown as in the picture above.

After finishing the card, I feel that it needed something else so i added the ribbon and gems. Not sure which i prefer.

This card I am also entering in the Sparkle Creations Challenge, as i was inspired by the blue and white and the snowflakes. However it needed the addition of red to make it into a christmas card.
http://sparklecreations.blogspot.com/

Products used:
CCSR Retail Therapy - Shop Til You Drop Stamp Set
Forever Friends Santa is On His Way Papers
Papermania Ribbon
Whisper Brush Markers
Snowflake Punch
Adhesive Gems
Chalk Inks
Cosmetic Sponge

Forever Friends Challenge Card - Free For All

Now that all my craft stalls are done with, I feel a lot better as I am over the majority of the flu I have had and have come to terms with a horrible 2009. I have a lot of time on my hands, to start entering these beautiful challenges again. I have missed these terribly, i really have.

Products used:
Doodlebug Design Papers
Forever Friends Cup Of Cocoa Stamp
Black Archival Ink
Docrafts whispers brush markers
Adhesive Gem Stones

This stamp is exclusive to the glitterpot, you can buy them from their website www.glitterpot.co.uk These stamps are now available in christmas set and a birthday set. Each stamp set is £14.99 each. Or you can buy them individually and they are on sale now only for a short time though! So if you have been wanting to grab some of these stamps - go for it.

Bit annoyed there because i paid full price when they were released and they were not available in these sets, hey ho never mind - thats the way it goes.

I know I have said this before, but I am really going to try hard in entering more of the Forever Friends challenges as it will get me to use more of my Forever Friends neglected stamps.

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to make this post to wish all my crafting buddies a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year. I hope you enjoy your turkey, have lots of fun, and eat loads wherever you are in the world. And a very happy new year.

I hope that you have an even better 2010!

Betty Boop

Just a quick post to share this card with you. Using White glitter cardstock and aperture, with a mixture of pains and an aperture card. I created this Betty Boop card. It certainly was very popular when i showed my colleagues at work.

Ding Dong Merrily on High

Here is another christmas card using the Daisy and Dandelion QVC Kit. I hope you like.

The edges are distressed using the Ancient Page Ink Pad and a cosmetic sponge. Trees are hand made from green card and stamped on with the sentiment stamps. The rest as shown in the picture.

Products used:
Daisy and Dandelion QVC Kit - Sentiment Stamps, Velour Stickers, Embossed Transfers
Red Coordinations Card stock
Green Coordinations Card Stock
Holographic Powder
Dark green pigment ink
Anita's Peel off stickers
White Cardstock
Permanent Markers
Brown Ancient Page Ink Pad
Cosmetic Sponge
Black fineliner
Glitz It Glue
Anitas PVA Tacky Glue

Daisy and Dandelion

Just got the latest magazine from docrafts in my local shop. It has a free CD with it, there is so much! I can not wait to get crafting, and there is so many new releases coming! I am so excited.

I made this card using the Daisy and Dandelion QVC Kit. I used the same tecnhiques as the red card below. This time i used the Daisy and Dandelion Stickers, and i used the robin to put on top of the tree. I used the rub on transfer for the greeting.

Daisy and Dandelion QVC Kit

Erica released a kit exclusive to QVC, it is gorgeous and available from QVC.com. It is definitely worth its value for money. I have used so much, and I have still lots left. Its ideal all year around, and brilliant last minute christmas present for all your crafting buddies.

This card uses the QVC Kit. Its a quick card, if you still need a quick card. If you have done all your christmas cards, then like me I continue to make christmas cards til the new year it takes some stress away from card making next christmas. They are always handy, as relatives always drop by for a card. Its always handy to have them in stock.

I cute a white card 1cm smaller than the square blank. Masking half of the card, stamped various christmas sentiments on one half and heat embossed them with red powder. Placed ribbon down the centre of the card. The ribbon was a freebie of the docrafts magazine last issue. Matted onto red card slightly bigger.

Stamped the image, coloured it in, cut it out and stuck it in place. Added the stockings from the decoupage kits. Added Adhesive gem stones in the bottom right corder.

Stamped another greeting using white pigment ink and white powder onto some red spare card. Cut it out, raised it with 3d foam pads, and added in the centre of the card at the bottom. Hope you like

Last Set of Demo Cards

This is the last set of cards I created the demo. Using various other layouts and same techniques. Again, the colour combinations are endless.

The snowflake stamp is from Daisy and Dandelions - Santa's Little Helpers Stamp Set. The greetings are Anita's Christmas peel off's. The greeting Happy Christmas is also a stamp from Daisy and Dandelions - Santa's little Helpers Stamp Set.

I hope people were inspired in the shop, my mum said that when she returned to the shop nearly every person in the que had the stamp! So i feel that I have done my job well. I guess time will tell.







My next goal for 2010, is to be featured in more magazines, will try for other design teams and maybe be a demonstrator for docrafts / trimcrafts.

More Demo Cards

Using one layout, this layout uses one of Clare Curd's previous sketch layouts for her challenges.

These cards shows the technique of matting and layering. I have used glitter to highlight certain areas and shimmer dots on the border. The coloured card uses Sakura Gelly roll pens, which leaves a nice shimmy to the cards. I rubbed this onto my finger and rubbed it on the black card to highlight this.

I also wanted to show if you have problems with a large stamp, it doesnt mean you do not use it. How many of us buy stamps and then they just stay in the draw? (my hand is raised up!) I wanted to show that you can bring the card to the stamp and select part of the stamp you require.

For the greeting i used Joyeux Noel Stamp set.

Creative Expressions Demo Cards

I was given this one stamp from Creative Expressions and asked to demonstrate it. My task with recession was to show how one stamp can be used to achieve many different results. In this hard time, I was going to show one stamp could be enough to create many cards. Over the next few days I will show you my samples I did for the shop. Although I did this in one colour, gold or silver, the colour combinations are endless depending if you wanted a vintage, classic,monochrome or contemporary christmas card.

For this card, I used Clare's gorgeous layout from Creativity Issue 18. I used the stamp as a background. To show you, it can make a quick card without colouring. The last card, I have used twinkling H20's - didnt have time in the demo to finish the card off, with the circles and greetings, but i am sure people got the point. I wanted to show resist embossing.


Products used:
Gold Mirror Card,
Versafine Watermark Ink Pad,
Gold Embossing Powder
D&D Santa's Little Helpers Stamp Set - for the greeting - they are so versatile they can be combined with any other stamp set.
Circle Punch
Hole punch - for the smaller circles


Same products as for the first card but I have used Silver Mirror card and Silver Embossing Powder instead.


Same products as above - but have used Twinkling h20's. The background has been heat embossed with white embossing powder.

Another Award

I have received another award from Karen, aka Paper Pixie. I am being spoilt. Thank you Karen. I truly appreciate it and that people actually do visit my blog and look at my work.


There are some rules for this award, which are as follows:
1) Thank the person who gave you the award
2) Copy the award to your blog
3) A Link to the person to whom you received the award from
4) Share 7 interesting things about yourself
5) Nominate 7 other bloggers
6) Link the 7 people who you are giving this award to
7) Leave messages on their blog to let them know about this award.

7 Interesting things about yourself:
1) I am a naturally shy person, but recently it has been pointed out to me with comments that this is being perceived by others as being stuck up and that my attitude is that I dont care. This hurts! To those who know me and care for me, I am none of those things. I am caring, loyal and I do care. Just shows do not judge a book by their cover. Those who are confident in what they do and in their ability - are perceived as cocky? There is no middleground, no win situation here i believe.

2) My horoscope is a Scorpio, I believe i am a typical Scorpio. Loyal. Passionate, etc.

3) I recently became engaged on 4th November to Amandeep. We are set to be married in October 2010.

4) I love to cook and try new recipes and experiment in the kitchen.

5) We celebrated my 21st Birthday in a restaurant with close family and friends.

6) I am an advid photographer, i have done professional photography for weddings and I am always the one at parties with the camera.

7) I love listening to music whilst crafting, My favourite band of all time since i was a teen and are still are now the Backstreet Boys. I am currently listening to Bigger from their new album, This is Us. Amazing vocals, amazing lyrics. No disrespect, i find a lot of songs of today have no content in their songs and just power house it to make the song credible. I was devastated by the loss of Michael Jackson, but i think it took the world to realise the gem he was by his death.

Boy, that was really hard to write the above.

The 7 people I nominate, move your mouse over their name and click on their name to go their lovely blogs:
Clare Curd - She inspires me with her card making skills and ability. I am constantly learning from here, she works full time as a crafter with docrafts and has her own range of products too.

Sue Lesley - Her ideas, her layouts are unique. I am inspired by her.

Kim Dellow - Her unique card making skills are superb.

Tabby Craft Designs - Her colouring, her layout, and she certainly embellises her cards well without going over the top. She makes best use of her sewing maching on all her cards, whereas i do faux stitching.

Olga Pope - As a unique card making style and is amazing. She makes good use of her resources.

Lyndsey Marie - I love her cards, they are inspirational. She can combine her papers with stamps beautifully. She contributes to many magazines, runs craft classes of her own, and now owns her own craft shop. She has two beautiful children.

June - Love her super cards, her combinations are amazing.

P.S Yes Ricky made it to the final, and Ali is out!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope Ricky wins now. I would have loved the final between Ricky and Ali, that would have been amazing and mind blowing.

Strictly Come Dancing

Tonight will be the semi final for Strictly Come Dancing, it is surely a tough one. Chris, Ricky and Ali. No one is safe. There is no dance off and only the top two will go through based on the public vote and the judge's score. It just shows that Ricky was amazing last week near perfection, at the top of the leader board, and still ended up being in the bottom two!

It is a dance competition, and i really hope on that basis that Ali and Ricky are in the final, people need to vote on that basis. That final would be absolutely amazing, mind blowing. If it is ali and chris - i think it will be all two predictable and Ali will take the glitter ball.

These shows this year have ended up being more of a popularity contest. I dont know what it is this year, but if you are good at it and do well, people conceive you to be cocky. If you got the talent, you perform it. I really dont think any of the contestants are.

I hope the judges do not slate anyone, because that will make the public go awww... and vote for them.

So VOTE VOTE VOTE, i will be voting for Ricky, his amazing talent, (and i think he is mighty fine!) and i hope the public base their votes on talent not popularity.

EDIT: I think Len said it right there would be no justice if Ricky is not in the final, number for Ricky is 09015 22 23 15 and the lines are now open.

New Background

Sorry for not making many posts in a while. I have been extremely busy, now I will have time to post and catch up on everyone's blogs.

After seeing all the changes in blog land of all the amazing blogs out there, i had it in mind to change the background on my blog for a while. I hope you like my new background, been wrestling with it for a while today to get it changed. I am happy with this background.

I will be making more posts over the next few days, so please stay tuned for more.

My First Demonstration

I have been booked to demonstrate, it is my first ever demonstration. I hope it goes well and there are more to come.

I will be demonstrating a Wooden Back Poinsetta Stamp From Creative Expressions at Kims Craft in Hinckley.
4-8 Coventry Road
Hinckley
Leicestershire
LE10 0JT

The demonstration is on 3rd December 2009, (tomorrow!) from 6pm to 8pm. If you are near by do drop in, I would appreciate the support. Car Park is on the rear. Kims Craft will be offering 10% of all purchases on the night as well.