Normal service has been resumed.....

Oh happy day! Yes its finally here, the first day of school!!!

Our eldest son started College yesterday, son #2 started Senior school this morning and only 10 minutes ago son #3 started his final year at Primary school. That leaves me with just my little princess to amuse, and seeing as she enjoys a good colouring session as much as her mummy, I might actually be able to make something!

I decided to write off the last 2 weeks of the school holiday as far as crafting went as we took another short camping trip over the Bank Holiday weekend, and when we returned I had so much washing, ironing and labelling of school clothes to do it took up every spare moment!

But now that (relative) peace has descended upon our household once more, I'm looking forward to catching up on reading my blogs which have been sadly neglected over the summer, and finally playing with some challenges!

TTFN!!

Becky :)

The Sugar Bowl challenge #17

My card today has been made following the sketch by the talented Judy over The Sugar Bowl for challenge #17.


The 'please include' part of the challenge this time around was to include handmade flowers. I made mine using the Woodware Christmas Flower multiflower punch. I coloured some white cardstock using the same Copic markers that I coloured my Gorjuss girl with, layered them up and finished them with either a button or gem.

TFL and have a good week,

Becky :)

Cupcakes!!

Hello everybody!

Almost every muscle in my body is aching as I sit here to post my latest card! My hubby convinced me to join the Gym with him and we've spent a sweaty hour or so in there today. I know it'll benefit me in the long run, but at the moment that isn't helping my sore thighs!

Anyway, back to business. This is my entry for 2 challenges, the challenge over at Cupcake Craft Challenge to celebrate their 1st birthday, and the sketch challenge over at Friday Sketchers.

The Cupcake Craft Challenge this week was 'Something Sweet', with an optional extra to add cupcakes to your card. I don't know about you but I think these gorgeous cupcakes are very 'sweet' and look good enough to eat (which isn't saying much as I haven't eaten cake in over 2 weeks now!). The sketch for my card is by the lovely Carole over at Friday Sketchers and I really enjoyed playing with it.

The papers are BG Urban Prairie and as usual I've added some sparkle and glossy accents!

Tfl, hope you like it!

Becky :)

Truly Scrumptious #13

This is the first card I've been able to make in over a week and it feels great to have finally created something!

This is my take on the sketch for challenge #13 over at Truly Scrumptious, which was designed by Mina, and included the added challenge to add some bling! The prize this time around is a great stamp set from Alota Stamps.

I used the gorgeous Winter Miss Anya and some bargain papers that I bought last christmas. The bling came courtesy of the little gems and the glitter paper that I used to back Miss Anya on to.

I've found it hard to get back into any sort of routine since we returned from our holiday, and having the children off school doesn't help either as all the time that I can usually spend crafting is now being taken up by 'bored' children!

TFL!

Becky :)

Anyone for Anya DT entry

Well, I'm back in the land of indoor plumbing!!

I've been away for a weeks camping trip to Bridlington with hubby, 3 of our children (our 16 year old won't be seen in public with us for any significant period of time!) his parents, his sister and her 4 year old son. We had a great time and for the most part the weather stayed fine, but when it rained it poured! So much so that hubby joked about getting Trench Foot, at least I think he was joking!


Anyway, here is my card that I have submitted to Dawny P as my entry for the design team for the new challenge blog Anyone for Anya?

To say that I was cutting it fine to get my entry in on time for the midnight deadline is a complete understatement, the time stamp on my email to Dawny showed as 23:59:28!

Whilst I was on holiday my lovely postman brought me the Wild Raspberry paper pack by K & Co and I just loved the colours so I had to use it! I coloured Miss Anya with my copic markers and as usual at the moment, I added glossy accents and a touch of sparkle with my clear Spica pen. The handbag charm had remained in my stash since I bought it about a month ago so I felt it was about time I used one, and the buttons are a combination of Basic Grey and Stampin' Up which fitted my colour scheme perfectly!

I made a New Years Resolution to myself (which I rarely do) which was to try and get on a design team at some point during this year, so at least I've given it a shot!

Thanks for looking,

Becky :)

Anyone for Anya? Fantastic news for Anya-addicts!

If you love Anya stamps by The Greeting Farm as much as I do then you will be as excited as me at the news of a new challenge blog dedicated to these little beauties!

Anyone for Anya has been set up by the fabulous Dawny P and they are currently looking for more DT members so if you want to have a shot at joining them all you have to do is make a card using your favourite Anya or Greeting Farm image and send it in by 8th August!

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Becky :)

Wedding congratulations - Truly Scrumptious and Colour Create challenges.

Good evening everyone, I hope you're all ready for the weekend!

My sister Kristie is getting married tomorrow and this is the card that I have made for the occasion.

I've used the Truly Scrumptious challenge #12 card sketch and included the additional challenge of using beads on your card. As the wedding colour scheme is blue it also fit in with Colour Create Challenge #23 which this time is blue and white!

The stamp is by Rubber Stampede and as soon as I saw it I knew it was exactly what I was looking for! The DP is Bashful Blue patterned DP by Stampin' Up and the flowers are by Woodware. Once again I used my glossy accents and my copic Spica clear pen to add definition. Unfortunately these caught the flash on every picture so it looks a lot shinier in the photos than it does 'in the flesh'!

I'm relieved to have gotten July's cards out of the way, and I'm looking forward to seeing my husband for a change!

TFL and have a wonderful weekend!!

Becky :)

2 Challenges in 1! Cupcake birthday card

Good afternoon!

My card today is for my husbands birthday and was made following the card sketch designed by Becky for this weeks challenge over at My Time To Craft.

I used Basic Grey Marrakech papers, brads and buttons and the cupcake stamp from Stampin' Up and finished it with glossy accents.

I also incorporated the challenge over at A Spoon Full of Sugar which this week is to have swirls in your card.

I am so close to the end of my mad card-making month that I can taste it, and I'm looking forward to a few days off from making and catching up on all my favourite blogs that I'm not had time to look at over the course of the month!

TFL,

Becky :)

Papertake Weekly Challenge Sketch #19

Well I appear to be taking late entries to a whole new level! This is for the sketch challenge which ends today over at Papertake Weekly.

This is another card for my son Liam, hence the 'L' brad! I used a sentiment stamp that I bought from Hobbycrafts in a box with 5 others for the bargain price of £4.99 and finished it with Copics and glossy accents. The buttons are Basic Grey and SU, and the letter brad was from Hobbyhorse Crafts.

Now to finish hubbys cards that I started last night!

TFL,

Becky :)

A Spoon Full of Sugar challenge #60 - Happy Birthday Liam!

Well July is finally coming to a close and my marathon birthday card making session is nearly over! This card is for my eldest son Liam who will be 16 tomorrow and oh my God does that make me feel old!

The card has been made using the card sketch designed by Debbie for challenge #60 over at A Spoon Full of Sugar and its a great one to play with! I used a Pink Petticoat download as my main image, coloured in with Copics and finished off with glossy accents. The DP is Offbeat by Basic Grey, as are the buttons and brads and once again I used my JustRite Stampers stamp for the sentiment.

Just hubby's birthday and my sisters wedding cards and I can breathe a sigh of relief!

TFL and have a great week!

Becky :)

Something sweet from The Sugar Bowl!

Todays card is for my very own 'gorjuss girl' - my daughter Erynn, who will be celebrating her 2nd birthday this Sunday.

The sketch is challenge #15 over at The Sugar Bowl, and was designed by the lovely Gayle, with the 'please include' option being ribbons and bows. I used some organza ribbon topped with some grosgrain, but unfortunatley the little bow holding the charm doesn't show up too well on the photo!

I used the Princess Gorjuss Girl which seemed quite appropriate as I call Erynn my little princess, and she enjoys being treated like one too! To be honest, in a house with 4 males in it, some female company is fantastic, she even has a love of shoes and handbags already, much to her daddy's dismay!

The DP is from the Lily Kate collection by Basic Grey, and as usual I had to add a charm and a little bling in the form of gems, glossy accents and highlighting the veins in my hydrangeas with my Copic Spica clear pen.

Now I only have to make cards for my eldest sons, husbands and best friends birthday within the next 2 days, oh and a wedding card for my sister - sleep is overrated anyway!

TFL and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Becky :)

Sketch Saturday #59

Hello all!

Well it's been a while since I've posted as I've been under the weather and not felt like moving let alone making cards!

But here (better late than never!) is my take on sketch #59 at Sketch Saturday. I used the adorable Penny Black birthday teddy as this card is for our nephew who is called Teddy and whose birthday it is this weekend. The DP is from the Cupcake collection by Basic Grey, I coloured the bear using my Copics and added Glossy accents to the balloons. I used my JustRite Stampers stamps for the sentiment and couldn't resist a little bit of bling!

I still have 4 birthdays and a wedding to go this month, but at least the end is in sight and soon I'll be back to making cards for fun!

I've also treated myself to a portable studio for my photos and I'm really pleased with how the photo has come out!

TFL, and enjoy you weekend!

Becky :)

Truly Scrumptious challenges with a Spoon Full of Sugar!

I love Gorjuss Girls! I'm not ashamed to say it and I know I'm not the only one who feels the same way, but I always get (maybe a little too) excited when I get a chance to use one of these beauties!

This card is for my niece Reah whose birthday it is today (July birthdays never seem to end in my family!) and I made it using the sketch over at Truly Scrumptious Challenge #11, which is to create your card using the sketch and black, white and one other colour of your choice, so I used Bo Bunny's beautiful Alyssa papers which I think worked really well!

I also incorporated this weeks challenge over at A Spoon Full of Sugar, which is to use hearts somewhere in your card so I added a smattering of tiny pink heart buttons and yet another heart charm! I am so loving using charms at the moment, I just need to get myself some delicate chain to attach them with!

This card is the first time I've done black hair and I'm really pleased with how the shading looks!

TFL!

Becky :)

Papertake Weekly Challenge sketch

Well my husband is officially sick of July and the amount of cards I have to produce! To be honest I don't blame him, but I only have one more card to finish off this week before I can take a breather!

This card has been made using the sketch over at Papertake Weekly. Once again I've used papers from the Lime Rickey collection by Basic Grey and its matching brads and buttons. The image is a download though I can't remember where from but its great to have as a standby!

You can't see on the picture but the present is on 3D pads and I've used glossy accents on the spots, and of course I couldn't resist a little bit of bling!

Tfl, and have a good week!

Becky :)

Sketch Saturday #58, Whimsy Stamps #8

Another day another Greeting Farm card! This one has been made following Gill's sketch for challenge #58 over on the at Sketch Saturday, and using a red, orange and yellow colour scheme as challenged over on Whimsy Stamps Challenge #8 . I really enjoyed incorporating these 2 challenges into one card and I'm really pleased with the results!

The papers are from the Basic Grey Lime Rickey range which I love, with matching buttons and brads. I used my copic markers to colour Ian in, and finished it with another charm and I couldn't resist just a little bit of bling even though it is a boys card!

I still have 6 more birthdays and a wedding to go this month, so I should have plenty to post in the next couple of weeks!

Tfl!

Becky :)

Happy Birthday Lucas! 2 Challenges.

Hello again,

This card has been made for my son Lucas' 10th birthday tomorrow using The Greeting Farm Surfer Ian stamp which I've been patiently waiting for for what feel like weeks!

I used Basic Grey Granola papers added a lovely starfish charm that I found on ebay and finished it with some SU buttons from my stash. I embossed the 'sea' using my cuttlebug swirls folder and then inked over it in white for more definition.

I've used it as my entry for A Spoon Full of Sugar #58 - Summer. I've also entered it at Charisma Cardz challenge #26 - Buttons.

Tfl and have a great weekend,

Becky :)

My Time To Craft Challenge #67

Hello all,

A friend at work asked me to make her a couple of Christening cards, but I found that I didn't have any suitable DP so the newest challenge over at My Time to Craft fit the bill!

This week they've asked that you make a card using no patterned papers, so I got out my trusty Cuttlebug embossing folders and this is what I came up with. I used my new Just Rite stamps for the sentiment around the cross, the letters are tiny and I dropped them more than once but I love how it looks and the freedom it allows you to put anything you like!

I inked over the embossing to give it more depth, but kept the rest of the card simple as sometime I have a tendency to 'over-egg the pudding'!

Anyway, I hope you like it, tfl and now I'm going to try and enjoy some sunshine!

Becky :)

Dare you to digi stamp challenge #13

Hello everyone!

I can't believe its been a week since I've managed to make anything! Debbie and I went craft shopping last weekend at Once Upon a Stamp and bought some lovely goodies, including some fantastic JustRite stamps! Hopefully I'll get a chance to play with them now I've finished work for the week!

Anyway, back to business. This card is my entry for the Dare to Digi Stamp challenge #13 which is using Kims sketch. I used the 50's Sweetheart digi stamp from The Greeting Farm, whose stamps I love with a passion! I coloured them with my copic markers and the DP is the gorgeous new release from Basic Grey, Lemonade.

This card is for my sister-in-law Debbie and her husband Luke who will be celebrating their 9th wedding anniversary on 2nd July so I hope they like it!

TFL!

Becky :)

3 challenges in 1!

This is the card I made for my in-laws anninversary this week. Unfortunately I have a shortage of stamps that are suitable for these occasions, but on the upside I do have an excuse to buy some new stamps now!

For their card I used Amy's Friday Sketch #70 over at Prairie Paper & Ink. I love Amy's sketches and use them as inspiration quite often. I also incorporated the Papertake Weekly Challenge which this week is 'Delightful Downloads'. The papers I used are called Sonoran Sunrise by Mindy Terasawa at Designer Digitals, the image is of course by Penny Black and the sentiment was printed onto a tag so that it also worked with Cute Card Thursday Challenge #65, Tag You're It!.

Now that's what I call multi-tasking!

TFL!

Becky :)

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #37

Hello,

This is my entry for the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #37, which was set this week by Claire, and it is to make a card using a pink and green colour scheme. I decided to make a 'Z' card, on which I used my lovely Miss Anya stamp, coloured with my copic markers. The dp is Making Memories 'Brooke' and it was the first pack of dp I ever bought when I started making cards almost 18 months ago! I kept it nice and simple using just a few gem embellishments.

Now that Father's Day is over I can try and concentrate on doing some more challenges as I actually had orders from people to make them cards! But July is a bit crazy in our house as 3 of my children and my husband all celebrate birthdays next month!

TFL and I'll hopefully have some more cards to show you later in the week!

Becky :)

My Time To Craft Challenge

Hello,

This card is my take on the fab sketch by Becky (not me, if only!) over at the My Time To Craft Challenge blog. It was great to work with so I made another Father's Day card, this time with a gardening theme. The image is the adorable George from Charmed Cards and Crafts, which I coloured with my Copics and the papers are Archaic from Basic Grey. It was the first time I'd used these downloads, but it definitely won't be the last!

Thanks for looking!

Becky :)

Sketch and Stash Challenge

Hello again!

I can't believe its Friday already, I've only just found some time to make a few cards and the week is almost over! This one is made using the sketch for Sketch and Stash Challenge 12, I've just found this challenge blog and I thought I'd play along! Part of the challenge is to use new or negelcted items in your craft stash so I used one of my newest Miss Anya stamps which I love but hadn't gotten around to using, and I rarely use buttons so I thought I'd try them with ribbon and thread, and I really like the effect! The prize is to win 3 downloads from The Character Cafe, and downloads are always handy to have!

Have a great weekend and TFL!

Becky :)

Papertake Weekly Challenge #16, C.R.A.F.T Challenge #3

I can't believe I've managed to post twice in 1 day!

This is my take on Dawny P's fantastic sketch over on the Papertake Weekly Challenge blog, and it's also an entry for the C.R.A.F.T Challenge #3, to make a Father's Day card using a blue/brown colout scheme. It's a great sketch and it was great to kill 2 birds with one stone by making a start on my Father's Day cards. This one is for my hubby Colin, but as I usually ask his opinion on my colour schemes, stamp choice etc. I've had to rely on the judgment of my 9 yr old son Lucas instead! Well he likes it and so do I! Colin is a 'man who can', he was a Builder for 16 years before he retrained as an Electrician and loves his tools so this Forever Friends stamp is perfect for him!

The DP is Granola by Basic Gray and as usual I coloured the image with my Copic Markers. Its the first time I've used my deckled rectangles Nestabilities and I love 'em!

Tfl,

Becky :)

Just Magnolia Challenge

Hi all, I hope you are enjoying your weekend despite the awful weather! The good thing about the rain is that I have been able to concentrate on finishing some cards when I would otherwise have gone out! Good for me, not so good for the kids who have been either bored stupid or fighting over the XBox!

Still, here is my entry for this weeks Just Magnolia Challenge. The prize is 6 Copic markers, and everyone knows you can never have too many Copics! I only got the stamp on Friday, so the fact that shes made it onto a card already is a first for me! I coloured her using my Copics and I used Washington Apple DP by SU.

Tfl, and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Becky :)

Friday Sketchers 54

This is the card that I made for the Friday Sketchers Challenge. I prefer this Gorjuss girl without the cat so I'm afraid that kitty bought it! The papers are Sonora Sunrise by Mindy Terasawa, downloaded from Designer Digitals and I coloured the image with my beloved copics!

TFL,

Becky :)

Shocked!

I just logged onto my blog to post a card for the Friday Sketchers challenge and nearly jumped out of my skin to find I had followers! lol. I guess I had better post something then, if only I could figure how to add links..................

My first post!

Well I've finally succumbed and made a blog! I'm yet to decide if this is a good idea but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough!

I've made this blog primarily as somewhere to post my cards for competitions, sketch challenges etc and hopefully as somewhere that I can meet like-minded crafters to exchange ideas and techniques. With a job and 4 children to contend with I hope I'll have the time to fit blogging into my week!

TFL,

Becky :)