Happy Boxing Day!

Morning all, and Happy Boxing day, I hope you all had a lovely day yesterday!

I thought it was about time I shared a card, not quite sure whats going on with me at the moment, I just seem to have lost my drive, I just don't seem to be able to craft, when I do get the time to do it, lots of cutting,shuffling and sticking goes on, closely followed by a bit of sulking and ultimately throwing my creations in the bin. 

This card was made back at the beginning of November.

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-

DBD, Anything goes,

LRW269, Happy Birthday,

PPC 208, Anything goes.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Simply Happy

A quick share of a card that I made last week using the weld option on my ScanNcut.

Simply cut in black and white and offset to form a shadow effect.

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-

S.H.27, Birthday,

TCC214, Anything goes,

ALBC, Not Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Add Flowers For Lavinia.

It's time for a new challenge theme at Lavinia and the theme for December is

"Add Flowers"



I used one of the gorgeous new dies for my first card, adding a little sponging and stamping to my background and a few punched flowers to the silhouette.

I thought I'd show you a real side on view so that you can see how I treated the wings. I cut the image three times, trimming around the wings on two and sandwiching a trimming of sheer lilac ribbon between them. I then shaped the wings and glued the rest of the silhouettes together. If I was going to be sending this card through the post, I might add a squeeze of silicone glue up close to the body just to help them stay fluttery. 

The next card is just a masked and inked background  and the poppy stamp inked in two colours.

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-

DDC11, Girlie/diecut,
AGOAC 133, Kraft and a colour,
Allsorts287, Milestone birthday,
Little Claires, Shaped card.

Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Celebrate With The Southern Girls!!!

Can you believe that the Southern Girls are starting our

 100th Challenge!

So Team Trace and Team Lou have joined together to

celebrate the occasion!

Both teams are using the digi images of Lacy Sunshine, one of this challenges sponsors.

I am using Tilly Dinosaur.

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-

CCC277, Embossing,

Double Click, Happy Birthday,

FabNfunky 239, Die Cuts,

CSD, Diecuts.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Dielicious!

A few weeks ago I reached half a century, what a silly age to be, it made me laugh so much, I thought that only old people became 50! 

Anyway, a lovely friend of mine treated me to a gorgeous new die and finally, today, I got chance to have a play with it.

For my second cards, I cut the diecut in half and hid the cut under the scalloped edge created with a "Lawn Fawn" edging die. These cards are only small but perfect for a little thank you.

I'm using these cards for the following challenges:-

CMC59, Use dies,

CHA19, Thank you,

TTPH67, Die cuts,punches.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Die Cut And Monochrome

I thought I'd share a couple of cards made a couple of weeks ago using the lovely

 New dies from Lavinia. 

The first one I cut in two colours, alternating them as I layered them up. I also shaped the blooms adding tiny seed beads as stamens.

 I made the background for my second card by gluing together 3 cuts of the Lavinia butterfly die and using it to emboss my card using the tan mat through the 

grand calibur

I'm using my cards for the following challenges:-

Little Claires 51, Shaped card,

We Dodoobadoo 18, Enhance your diecuts.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

For The Boys!

It's time for a new challenge at Southern Girls and the theme this time is,

"Boys!"

For my card this time I used the cheeky duo

"Elf Delivery System"

 The digi is by Make it Crafty, 

one of this challenge's amazing sponsors. Please check out the challenge blog for full details of all of the sponsors this time. 

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
Whoopsi Daisy, Add a sentiment,

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Snow And Sparkle With Lavinia

The new theme starts today at 

Lavinia Stamps Challenge.

"Snow and Sparkle."

It's a great one for all of you Lavinia lovers that want to get some Christmas cards made!

I flicked masking fluid over my card before inking up my night sky and stamping Santa and his Reindeer

 (Christmas Night)

 onto the freshly fallen snow lol!

 I did have a bit of a laugh when I'd rubbed of the dried masking fluid and it revealed a few rather large snowballs instead of delicate flakes. Oh well!

There's a great randomly picked prize as always, a £40 voucher to spend in the Lavinia shop where you can now treat yourself to some of the gorgeous new 

Celtic Dream Dies!

A blog isn't essential as email entries are also accepted.

 

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-

AFC, It's cold,

Artistic Stamper, Christmas is coming,

CHC201, Sparkle,

Little Claires, Christmas,

LIM196, Non traditional Christmas colours.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.

Celtic Dreams

 Another quick post from me tonight sharing another card made with one of the gorgeous new dies by

 Lavinia Stamps.

This one is called Alura.

 I added a bit of stamping to my inked  background 

 I'm using this card for the following challenges:-

TTCRD, Anything goes,

CC126, Die cutting.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Loving Lavinia Dies Big Time

I've not much time to chat today!

I'm too busy playing with my new dies

from Lavinia Stamps!

And if you like your dies big, you're going to love these, they measure 11.5 cm!

It doesn't show too well in the photo but I actually used the die to cut an aperture from my card the butterfly is layered onto vellum and the wings are highlighted with the most amazing Wink of Stella.

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-

OSAAT 222, Butterfly,

ATCAS50, Vellum.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Simply Over The Edge

I've really not been getting much time to craft lately so when I needed a quick card I went to my pot of images that I'd previously cut using my ScanNcut.

This gorgeous LCI Digi

 was simple to colour and just perfect for the job

I couldn't get it to show up in the photo too well but there's a sprinkling of glamour dust on the roses and on the dots of Liquid pearls added to the gypsophilia on the digi.

Unfortunately the close up does show up the speedyness of my colouring job!

Just in case you hadn't heard the sad news, 

Ladybug Crafts Ink

will be closing their doors for good on the 

28th October so time is running out if you wanted to bag yourself a bargain and what a perfect time to grab a few extras for Christmas gifts for your crafty friends!

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-

CCCDC11, Glitter digi,

TCC October, Pink,

4CC, Birthday.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Autumn, My Favourite Time Of Year!

I just love autumn, the smells, the cooler weather, being able to get out the jumpers again and open up my scarf drawer.

I never get bored with looking at the changing colours of the leaves, I just love it!

I wish I'd had more time to create this months DT contributions for Lavinia stamps, I made these a few weeks ago and now that I see them again, I realise that I didn't capture the true beauty of the season.

It would be lovely if you could join us in this month's challenge theme,

"Autumn Colours"

Email entries are accepted and with a prize of  a

 £40 Lavinia spend up,

 it's so worth entering!

So if you've got any Lavinia Stamps or Digi's, you've got nothing to loose!

I'm entering the following challenges:-

Inky Impressions, Flowers and leaves,

Chocolate Baroque, Colour recipe.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Sale Extended

As Kerry has been out of the country for a few weeks she has decided to extend the 

closing down sale 

until the 

16th of October 

I had hoped to get time to make a new card to share, unfortunately I didn't so I am going to share

 one of my favourite

 Ladybug cards instead!

I seem to remember that this was my first ever image coloured entirely using Copics.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Not Too Shabby!

Hello there, did you think I'd run away? 

Crafting has had to take a back seat lately, there's been so much going on and I don't know how you find it but the longer it is between playing,

 the harder it is to get creative. 

I have to say that when I saw the theme for the new Challenge at Southern Girls

, I panicked a little, you know me, I'm a CAS kinda girl, and the theme chosen for our

 Team Lou is

"Shabby Chic"

As usual we have some brilliant sponsors for this one,

I used Isabella by one of them, 

Emerald Faeries.

I also used a Marianne Craftable die, not the entire die cut but segments cut from Vintage Frame.

Have to say though that despite my fears, once I got into it I thoroughly enjoyed using the theme! I found myself using paint to distress the kraft envelope that I used as my base layer, I roughed up some of my edges with a nail file and broke out the Mega flakes, just a shame I couldn't find my flitter glue! I also managed a first thanks to Colette and my lucky win at Cosmic Strawberry last month, I used a doily!

You could be seeing a few more

 Shabby Chic Makes

 from me some time soon!

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-

CCC71, Twine,

CM, Diecut,

DOC87, At least one flower,

BZC, Lace,

CMC56, Doily,

ES107, Distressed,

ALBC, Distress it.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Don't Look, Nikki's In The Bath!

Nothing new from me today, this card is from

 a few years ago. 

 Instead I thought that I'd give you a little reminder that time is running out if you are wanting to treat yourself to this or any other of the lovely LCI images.

This one is 

Bathtub Nikki 

Thanks for stopping by

Julie.x

It Clearly Says Birthday!

 I can't say that I was over the moon with this card,

I didn't think it looked so bad but then it's like the camera really doesn't lie, it looks a bit off balance now that I can see it here.

Well maybe not off balance but a little bit.... well, hanging there. It's too late to worry about it now as my son gave it to the recipient last week but if I ever decide to make another, I will sit the flower slightly lower.

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-

OSAAT219, Anything goes with a die,

CC19, Use acetate.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

p.s. If you've not stopped by my blog this week, you may not know that sadly

Ladybug Crafts have a closing down sale.

Football Jack

There are some amazing images that are still available in the LCI closing down sale, I must say that Jack will always hold a little piece of my heart, he did in fact star on my very first appearance as a guest Ladybug way back in June 2011. 

My first colouring of Jack though does look like he had spent far too long on a sunbed,

 I don't think I will show you that card lol! 

Instead I'm going to share a card from 

 last year  using Football Jack, I have to say though that you'll have to get your skates on

 if you fancy owning this stamp yourself as 

it's down to single numbers!

Don't leave it too late!

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Snow Joke!

Here's another blast from the past, another brilliant image that will soon no longer be available. I made this one way back in 2011!

This image is

Nikki and Buttercup running in the snow

Why not treat yourself before it's too late!

I will be back soon to share more cards that I've made in my time as a Ladybug!

Thanks for stopping by, 

Julie.x

Don't Pack Away Those Flip Flops Yet!

Over the next few weeks I aim to share with you a few of the cards that I've made using Ladybug Crafts  Ink Stamps.

If you read my post yesterday you will know that they are closing their doors at the end of this month. I made this card way back then .

This image will soon no longer be available.

Get it whilst you can!

Thanks for stopping by, 

Julie.x

Ladybug Grand Finale

Sad, sad news today, after 5 years, the lovely Queen Ladybug Kerry has decided to close the doors of
 "Ladybug Crafts Ink"
I am so going to miss being a Ladybug, such a talented group of ladies and I've been lucky enough to be part of the team. Kerry is going to be enjoying spending lots of time with that gorgeous grandson of hers and who can blame her, he's such a cutie!
The final challenge will run until the 30th of September and the theme for this is
"Use Your Favourite Image!"

Many of the retired Ladybugs have joined us for the final challenge, we are having a Ladybug party before we hang up our wings for the last time! 

One of my all time and most used Ladybug images.

"Winestool Nikki".

Cheers Kerry!

Kerry will also be having a
 Closing Down Sale,
so why not grab yourself some Ladybug cling stamps whilst you can at the bargain price of  £1, it will be your last ever chance! (Sniff,sniff,sniff, totes emosh!)
There are some ribbons and other embellishments available in the sale too!




I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
Markerpop 51, Copics/anything goes,
GI August, Birthday.

I'm going to be sharing some of my previous makes over the next few weeks, share some of the wonderful images that I've been lucky enough to have been able to use over the last few years.

Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

(Please scroll down for my previous post today)

Just Add Some Ribbon, You Could Win £40

The challenge for September at Lavinia Stamps is

"Add Some Ribbon"

Now that's a nice easy one for you Lavinia lovers!

You don't need to have a blog to enter as the challenge now accepts email entries!

It could be worth £40 to you, all you need to do is ink up those Lavinia stamps!

I found the most perfect addition to

 my Bullrushes ,

 some tiny seed pearls and a teeny tiny sprinkle of flock for them to stand in.

I thought it'd be fun to give the fairy something to dangle from her outstretched hand so I masked the surrounding area and stamped just the one set of wings from the washing line.

I wanted to add a sentiment but my printer had other ideas, scanning my eyes over the pages of an old, broken book, I found some that I felt  suited the stamped scene.

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
TSM99, Special Occasion,
TCCB207, Boys,
TPP211, Tic,Tac,Toe, Top line.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x