Butterfly Daydreams.

Nice to see you again this evening. Just a quick post sharing a card I made using one of the stamps I received as blog candy from the lovely Brenda a couple of weeks ago. Brenda has some amazing blog candy this month too,check out my side bar for a link to it. Do go and call by and leave Brenda some love, she is unable to craft at the moment due to illnes, she makes some amazing cards and is Queen of the Speedball!

I also recieved amongst my goodies some lustre rub ons,I'd never used these before but they've given a lovely pearly sheen to the paper pieced butterfly and flowers.

I decorated the inside of the card to match the front.

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

Allsorts 90,It's all about the sentiment,

Our Creative Corner,Cut it out.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

The Bride And Groom.

A few weeks ago,the lovely Karen gave me Woodware Wedding Tots stamps to have a play with, and this is a card I made using them. The images are separate so I stamped them close together using Momento Tuxedo Black and coloured the images using Copics. I've got to say,this is my best "Boy Hair" ever,the couple were just so lovely to colour.

I think the paper is Laura Ashley though I'm not 100% sure. I was so please to be able to cut the oval around the image by using the "centre point" on the Cricut,I'm so enjoying learning how to play with it.

I even cut out all of the pieces that made up the flowers on it,shaped them between my fingers,touching the edges with a chalk eye before gluing the pieces together and adding a flat backed self adhesive pearl to the centre. The pearl hearts have been in my stash for ages,the leaves were cream and joined together like ribbon I cut them apart and coloured them with Copics, the lace is available at Scrapbook Sisters. I haven't added a sentiment at the moment as it's not got a home to go to yet,I think it looks a bit like a photo frame so could be used for either a wedding or anniversary card.

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

Challenge Me Monday 32,at least 1 leaf,

Craftalicious 10,Anything goes,
OSAAT 35,Embellish it,

OCC, Embellishments,
Wee Memories 27,Celebrations,

Digi Doodles 29,My Peeps,

ABC Challenge,F is for flowers,

Little Red Wagon 50,Something Old,Something New,

There's still time to enter this weeks challenge over at Scrapbook Sisters,and whilst you're there,take a look at the fantastic Digi stamps by Gayle Bond that have just been released.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

I Love My Copics!

I so love my Copics,I was never any good at drawing but I so love colouring in. I only got into stamping around a year ago and never thought I'd be able to colour an image to make it look passable but Copics take colouring to a whole new dimension. I spend ages checking out other blogs,picking up tips,watching demos on how other people use theirs but the only real way of learning is actually relaxing and going for it yourself.


This little teddy image was part of a freebie stamp collection that I got on a magazine,he's by Adam Pescott and is called Bently Bear. I'm really pleased with how I've coloured this image, I love his cuddly fur, not saying that it's perfect but it's good enough for me,not bad for a first attempt anyway, and by sheer fluke I managed to make my balloons look a bit translucent too!



I just used C1 over the coloured image to achieve this effect.
The embossing on this card was a bit of an accident. I measured and cut the white card and embossed it using a flower folder. wasn't very happy with it as it was a bit OTT when put against the paper which was also free with a magazine this month so I thought that I'd cut corners and use the same pieces of card and put them in the Swiss Dott folder thinking that the flowers would just disappear, they didn't but I quite liked the result so decided to use it anyway and rubbed the strips with a pink chalk eye. I saw at Poppet's Place blog a while ago how to make a button so had a go at this to make my flower button,I've added a link to her blog so you can check out her lovely glittery cards,I hope that she can bless me with a link to the page where she showed how to make them cos I can't remember where it is.




I'm using this card for a few challenges,
Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge 146, I haven't a large oval like the sketch used so hope this qualifies
Paper Play Week 27,Your number's up,
The Shabby Tea Rooms week 17,make an Impression,
Y.N.S challenge 20,Flower Power,
Alphabet Challenge, K is for kids,
Craftalicious challenge 3,Cute,
Crafty Creations 75,make your own button.
Thanks for stopping by on this rather hot summers evening,
enjoy your weekend,
Julie.x

Guilt Free Crafting!

Well,over the last 4 days I have worked my socks off and have now completed all of my coursework. I can't believe that it's done I only wish I'd got my backside into gear sooner,if only I'd been given a dead line in the first place instead of being told my dead line was at the end of the week! Still that doesn't matter now,the folder been collected and it's out of my hands.

Now I can craft without worrying that I should be studying instead and here is the first of my guilt free cards.Don't ask me where this design came from,I found myself waking up today with this on my mind so although it's been a bit time consuming I got exactly the result that I was after. I'm thinking that maybe I'm a little stuck on using these little stamps at the mo and yes,I've used exactly the same stamps as my last post.
I'm using this for the following challenges:-
Allsorts Challenge week 58, embossing,
Craft Pad Week 77 challenge, embossing,

StampArtic challenge 2,Flowers,

Papertake Weekly challenge, stitches,
More guilt free crafting coming soon!
Thanks for stopping by this evening,
Julie.x

That's Blown It!

Don't know if you've noticed but lately I've been using a light studio that my husband treated me to.Its like a collapsible box that you can Velcro different backings to and has lights that you stand each side to throw the light through the white sides. Well,I've been using it on my kitchen work top,so far so good but when I assembled it the other evening,one light slipped off onto the floor and yes,much to my annoyance,it blew the bulb. DH went off to get me a new bulb but unfortunately didn't realise that the bulb should have been a daylight one :(

So this is what it looks like,not so good as before,need to find another new bulb,it also looks like I need to get my iron out!

This is the card that I made for my Sister-in-Law,I was a bit pleased with this card,it was my first attempt at this repeat stamping even though I showed you a similar one to this earlier in the week.I had to hold on to posting it till after the event.

I'm entering this card for:-

Sweet Stamping Challenge 31, Clean and simple

Thanks for stopping by,

Hope you like my simple little card,

Julie.x

Sunday Quickie

Hi,happy Sunday!!! I had several cards that I needed to make over this weekend but unfortunately most I can't show to you yet as the recipients stop by my blog from time to time. I needed to make a really quick card just in case you think that I've lost interest with this blogging lark and stop dropping by! What an easy card it was too,I used a stamp that I bought simply ages ago and hadn't used,it's by Studio G and came in a pack with a few others,think it was only around 99p. I repeat stamped it roughly measuring so that the flowers were evenly spaced.I coloured it with Copics and highlighted the centre of each flower with a little dob of Stickles. I then just cut strips of 2 shades of yellow card and stuck them to the card blank. added 3 of these lovely Papermania flat baked sticky gems that I purchased yesterday from Scrapbooksisters(they have them in several different colours and each card of gems comes in 4 different shades of the colour) the colour pack that I bought is called Sunshine!,That's not bad is it,sunshine for only £1.99 lol!

Am using this card for the following challenges:-

Paper Play Challenges week 24, Something old,

Stamp Something,Something summer,

A Spoonfull of Sugar Challenge 108,Summer,

Tuesday Throwdown 4,Celebrate summer,

Hope you all took the time to spoil your Dads this Fathers day,my Dad was my hero,I miss him everyday.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Pretty in Pink, Part 2

Yes,as predicted,the shopping trip was a disaster on the new clothes front,came back with 3 new vest tops in 2 colours,exactly the same as most of the others that I already have in my drawers. It is official,I dislike clothes shopping immensely! (I can't say hate as I've taught my children that it's too stronger word and the former is much nicer lol!)Still I did console myself browsing around the haberdashery department in John Lewis and buying some lovely green ribbons.
Did you realise that in J.L.you can buy as little as 10cm of fabric off the roll,fantastic as my daughter only needed enough to line the pocket of her jeans.


You may be forgiven if you think that I have posted last nights card again today,same colours,papers,image BUT new sketch,I actually had these items ready to do a challenge but followed the wrong sketch yesterday,still,I did so enjoy colouring this lovely image again,will pay more attention in the future. These are the challenges that I'm using it for:-
Challenge 36 The Sugar bowl ,Lilian's Sketch.
Stempel Magic,Challenge 12, Flowers,
Alphabet Challenge, F is for flowers.
Definitely no shopping happening tomorrow,really need to get some essential work done. Have a card ready if I do get the chance to post.
Till next time,
thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Home at last!

Well,a couple of day's away turned into 10 days stranded in Spain,might sound good to some but unfortunately the weather was rather wet. How I wish I'd known in advance,I'd have taken my Copics and a few stamps with me! Still home at last and our adventures weren't half as bad as some I've heard of.
Now this is a card I'd made for the birthday of a work colleague,unfortunately it was earlier in the week but I'm sure he'll forgive me for giving it late.


Don't you just love this stamp! it's from set 5,Suzy by Marij Rahder,I treated myself to 3 sets from the range at Scrapbook Sisters before I went away when they had the full range of 6 sets available. Do check them out as the images are amazing and suitable for men,women and children.The images are a good size this boat alone measures around 11.5cm x 9cm and there are 13 images in this set, at £9.73 it's certainly good value for money. I added the boat's name using Peel off letters and used stickles on the waves.
Thanks to everyone that visits my little blog, I've so missed keeping up with it over the last 10 days and hope that I get the time to catch up with all the blogs that I usually visit regularly.
Thanks for stopping by,
it's good to be home!
Julie x