Good morning to you all, I hope you are all keeping warm. It has turned back into winter here and the heating is back on !
So I've been staying home with my craft goodies and keeping myself amused !

Todays post is my DT card for The creative cottage challenge blog.
This week we want to see some food/drink on your creation. Head on over to the blog here and check out the other DT cards, they're fab, I consider myself V lucky to be on the team alongside some ultra talented girlies - ((hugs)) to ya girls x
Ok so this week One lucky winner , chosen at random, will win the "something sweet" kit. If you have been here before you will realise that this is one of my fav's and I have used it again this week to made a quick mini card.

I used my new Fiskars paper crimper to add a bit more texture to my mini card. I gave my background paper a vertical ridged effect and my pink middle band a diagonal ridged effect - it sort of reminded me of the icecream cornet !
The fab sentiment/image is a freebie from Raindrop Echo Designs - thanks Ann - pop over to her blog for a look. She has some fab cards and tutorials on her blog as well as some great freebies.
All I had to do was some quick colouring with my pencils and add some stickles then popped it onto a circle die cut with my nestabillities and my bigshot.
I added a little ribbon and a flower with a button just to finish it off.

A really quick card but I hope you like it x
((hugs)) Suzie xx

Blog candy Alert !!!

Hey fellow crafters blog candy ahoy !
Just look at the stash that Sarah over at Stressed Stamper is offering.
For a chance to win just get over to her blog and become a follower.
DON'T FORGET YOU HAVE TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT !!!!
Good luck to y'all
((hugs)) Suzie xx

Poppy power !

Since the weather was showery and blowing a gale today - typical bank holiday then - we ended up staying at home. Kev and Issac played on the wii for most of the day and Aidan emptied the toy box at least twice - I'm sure I'll be finding toys everywhere for the rest of the week !
But it was soooo worth it just to have a day sorting through some of my craft bits and pieces and finding homes for my new stash (on Saturday I recieved both my Cupcake craft challenge winnings from Simon says stamp and my blog candy from the lovely Teri).
I also got a chance to play with my new stamp from Inkadinkadoo.
I made the card base using DCWV textured card and the red card is from a paper pack I've had ages called "Possibilities" from Colorbok. I distressed both by using a nail file - works just as well as those sanding blocks and at a fraction of the cost !
Then I embossed the red piece with a cuttlebug embossing folder and my bigshot.
The image is coloured using my Aquarell watercolour crayons which I just think are the bee knees so easy to use - although this was an extremely easy stamp to colour anyway as it already has the definition.
A red chiffon ribbon and a thinking of you stamp (hot off the press) completed the front and I just layered some of the same red card inside.

I thought I'd add this to a challenge blog I came across called Crafty cardmakers - nice to see another UK challenge blog - go and check them out if you haven't been before. The DT have made some beautiful samples they are obviouslly a very talented bunch.
I would also like to enter this into the My time to craft challenge (another UK challenge blog - def seeing more of these around) who this week want to see red on your cards.

Hope you like it

((Hugs)) Suzie xx

Winner of Teri's birthday blog candy

I know I am meant to be doing my ironing but just before I turned off my computer I thought I check out who'd won Teri's Birthday blog candy.

Imagine my glee when I saw my name !!!!!!!!!!

I would like to say a big thanks to Teri for the chance to win such a lovely prize.
If you haven't been to her blog, Teri's craft spot, pop over for some fab inspiration. She's also a Stampin up demonstrator so if you are like me and haven't got one in your area you can order there fantastic goodies online.
Thanks again Teri
((hugs)) Suzie xx

Creative cottage challenge - Circles

Morning all -hope you are all fine and dandy on this sunny morning !
The sunshhine has finally got to me and started to thaw my winter chill and I am feeling especially jolly this morning.
Here is my weekly DT card for The creative cottage challenge blog. This week the challenge is to use circles.
All the girls on the design team have done a fab job pop over for a look and join in with us.
For my card I have made a shaped easel card using the "something Sweet" kit available here.
If you have been on my blog before you will probally know that this kit is one of my fav's.
The flowers are from DCWV and the stamps are once again from the See D's Blooming friendships kit.
The pearls were a last minute addition after my 4 yr old son splashed his squash onto my freshly finished card (boo hoo) !
V quick post this morning as I must get some ironing done !
Hope you like it
((hugs)) Suzie xx

Color Throwdown #89

Here is my entry into this weeks Color throwdown challenge (#89) and what beautiful colours they are this week.
I haven't played along for a few weeks and I've really missed it so I'm glad to come back to such a calming colour choice.


As it happens I had just got some new A4 sized papers from one of those pick and mix paper stations, you know the ones where you fit as much as you can into an envelope folder or box.
One of my new papers was this pattern which just seemed perfect. I teamed it with a pastel blue plain sheet, from the same bargain stand, and a sagelike sheet of bazzill basics card.
I decided on an easel card -I am lovin these at the moment - so little effort for such a wow factor.
The paper frill is from Bazzill basics too (I always buy these in white so I can ink or chalk them to match whatever colour I'm using although white seemed right on this card !)



The image is a gorgeous stamp from Penny black, which I stamped with black stazon and coloured using my NEW Lyra Aquacolor crayons.
This is the first time I've used these and I was amazed at just how easy they are to use and how beautifully they blend.
For those of you who haven't heard of them they colour like a crayon but they are also watercolours so they blend really easily - I would reccomend them to anyone.
I also stamped the balloons onto acetate and used my glossy accents to stick on a very thick layer of glitter which when dry I peeled off and stuck onto my image - I love the effect.

A bit of ribbon, a sentiment (See-D's Blooming friendships kit) and a few Pearls finished it off and I'm really very happy with it.

Hope you like it. Thanks for stopping by - leave me a comment so I know you've been and I can come visit you too.
((hugs)) Suzie xx

Creative cottage challenge #7 "Going Green"

Here is my DT card for Creative cottage's 7th weekly challenge. The theme this week is "going green" - and you can use green the colour or actually go green and recycle some bits and bobs for your card. I decided to do both - if any of you have read my earlier posts you will see that I like to recycle where I can anyway so it was kind of second nature for me !

So I started with a plain background digi paper from The creative cottage kit "something sweet" which I printed onto quite heavy card to use as my base.
I stamped this with a love elsie flower stamp to make my own background. I also stamped some extra flowers onto some light green card and then heat embossed them with a sparkly embossing powder for my flower centres.
The centre panel is a patterned paper from the something sweet kit again (love love love this kit !) layered onto another plain this time light green.

The flowers are actually from an old dressing up outfit (a lei from a hula girl costume) and the buttons are from my button box which is full of the spare buttons that come with everything !
The green ribbon is another recycled peice from the loops that you are meant to hang your clothes with - they all find there way into my ribbon stash ! The patterned ribbon is from Americain crafts and the paper frill is from doodlebug.
Of course one of my cards would not be complete without some glossy accents - I am having a little love affair with this at the mo !
This is one of those cards that can be used for anything as there is no sentiment on the front. I love having these in my card drawer. When I need a card I have a rummage through and stamp a quick sentiment inside - very handy.
I also took advantage of the lovely weather and photograhed this card in the garden !
Hope you like it - why not pop over to the challenge blog and have a look the rest of the design team have, as always, done a great job.
((hugs)) Suzie xx

Creative cottage challenge #6 - Things with wings !

Here is my DT card for the Creative cottage challenge blog.
This week, challenge # 6, the challenge is to include "things with wings".

I have used papers from the "Come rain or shine kit" available here. I am seriously loving this large flower print with it's doodled feel and gorg zingy colours.
I used the ole faithful bazzill basic cardstock in black for the base and scored and folded it into a gatefold card. I don't make many of these but enjoyed a change and I love the way the ribbon tie looks.
I stamped my butterflies (think they are from Papermania) onto another paper from the kit and then onto acetate with Stazon and used stickles (my mums - 'cause I didn't have the right colours - thanks mum x) to add some bling to the wings.
When they were dry - I hate waiting for things to dry - I layered them up and added them to the card along with a sentiment from docrafts and more stickles on the flowers.
A wrap around ribbon fixed on the card back and tied in the front was the finishing touch.
Thanks for looking. I hope you like it
((hugs)) Suzie xx

My very 1st homemade paper flower - cupcake craft challenge

Here is my entry for the Cupcake craft challenge - this week the challenge was to make your own flowers.

Now I have spent months admiring these beautiful blooms adorning everyone elses cards - while thinking that I couldn't possibly replicate them with the same effect myself - WRONG ! They are so easy in fact the flower used on this card is my 1st - yes 1st - attempt, which is why I made it on plain printer paper thinking it would take a few goes and I'd ditch the 1st few. But I ended up really liking the simplicity of the plain white and so I very proudly plonked it on my card !

I used my spellbinders Dahlia die to make 6 flowers (1 small one and 5 medium ones) then just screwed them up to give them that frilly petal look. After doing this to all the flowers all you have to do is punch a hole in the centre of each, layer them up and fasten them with a brad - easy peasy !
At this point I really wished that I had one of those cosmic shimmer sprays, to add a subtle spritz of colour, but I haven't so I've added it to my, ever growing, craft wish list !

As for the rest of my card - well the flower was made 1st and I wanted to make it the star ! So built the rest around it.

I made a square card base using white bazzil cardstock and layered with Papers from a 6 X 6 paper pad from Little yellow bicycle - Baby Safari. It includes 12 decorative edged and 12 patterened papers.
I don't have a sewing machine (boo-hoo) so I hand stitched the semi circle panel onto the backing paper and I love the effect - def worth the effort I think.
The swirls I lovingly hand cut from a sheet of paper in my K & Co Berry sweet pad.
The frame was made using more spellbinders Nestabillities (labels 1) and i used a Kelly Panacci stamp set for all the stamping (inside too).

That's about it I think - I hope you like it, I feel quite proud of my 1st flower !
I would also like to say Thank you to those of you who have been by before and left a comment - it is lovely to recieve feedback and encouragement from like minded people.
Hope you have a lovely day - thanks for stopping by
((hugs)) Suzie xx

Creative Cottage challenge - "Buttons & bows "

Here is my DT card for the Creative Cottage Challenge blog. This week the theme is "Buttons & bows".
I have used the fab freebie from the creative cottage - isn't she cute ? You don't only get the image you also get the backing paper, sentiment and frames have a look here.
Didn't need to add much else just some stickles, brads and of course buttons and bows - all from my craft cupboard.
Hope you like it
((hugs)) Suzie xx