Restoration!

I have been feeling somewhat nostalgic in my old age and have had a go at some restoration projects recently!

 

Before                                                                           After                                                                                                       

   I have re-styled and conditioned the hair and knitted the outfit for this one.

.

Next up this one has had  all of her new hair sewn in plug by plug by me as well as the tiny eyelashes. I almost gave up I confess as this one took me ages and gave me very sore fingers! But her face has changed so much now she has all of her lashes!

Before

After

The next one had a broken leg, so I fixed her by restringing the body, so now she works again and the hair was all matted, so I have fixed this too.

And finally this one had blue dyed hair and wasn't in a good state as she looked like this. So I sorted out the hair and made her a new dress and now................

Before

 she looks like this.

After

So you may be thinking I have gone completely mad in my old age, but actually it's quite therapeutic seeing things that would have been probably thrown away being given new life and I've really enjoyed creating. It's a bit of a change from card making but I'm enjoying it for now!

New Dis digi downloads challenge.

Another fortnight has flown by and what a fortnight it has been in a very sad way. Still onwards and upwards as they say. Here is my welcome spring card. DIs images are so sweet and I loved colouring this little sweetie. Do pop over and check then out.

Mother's Day

My thoughts are with all of those this weekend that are't as fortunate as me to be able to wish their Mum a Happy Mother's Day. Here's one I made for my Mum.

New Di's digi challenge, Person and animal.

Morning all, looks like it's going to be a lovely day again! Hurrah! We have a new challenge over at Di's digi downloads challenge and this week the challenge is an animal and a person. I just adore Di's images they ae so cute and they colour up beautifully. Di's images are also now available in rubber too for those who don't like digis. Anyway do pop over and join in the fun.

I am entering this card in to the following challenges.
Crafty Calendar challenge - Animal antics
ABC Challenge H for hair.
Created with love challenge - Think Spring
Cute card Thursday girls, girls,girls.

A new TIC TAC TOE challenge over at Di's digi designs.

Afetr taking a break for a while from the DT at Di's digi downloads I'm pleased to say that I have managed to put my life in a little more order and return. So The challenge over at Di's this fortnight is a TIC TAC TOE one and I have used  a digi, flowers and die cuts.

 

It's lovely to be able to creat again with Di's fabby images and I have missed not having the time to do things. Hopefully now I'll be able to create a little bit more with these so cute images.

I am entering this card in to the following challenges.


Crafty Hazlenuts Patterned paper
ABC Challenge - Flowers
Brown Sugar Challenge - Use a die cut or punch

Cinders, you shall go to the ball.

I noticed that Krista was having a sale a few weeks ago of quite a few digis that were going into retirement. Well, a few just had to slip into the old basket didn't they and here's one that I had great fun colouring with my old promarkers. I do seem to flip between promarkers and copics and go through phases using each. Is this normal, or should I ask....am I normal?? I am entering this one in to the passion for promarkers challenge which is anything goes.

I'm no wallflower!

Another of my Saturated Canary makes coloured with promarkers. This little lady is called Wallflower.

Saturated Canary Breeze.

I'm so loving those Saturated Canary images at the mo and I confess I have bought a heap of them over the past few weeks both digi and rubber! This little lady is called Breeze and she has been coloured with promarkers for a change! The backing papers are Christmas ones and the die cuts are all from Magnolia. The sentiment is one from Lili of the Valley.

I am going to enter this card in to the Passion for Promarkers challenge which is ribbon, lace or twine.

Fly free..... Leanne Ellis

I just love these Leanne Ellis stamps and I have managed to acquire quite a few courtesy of a lovely friend in Manchester. There was a bit of a tug of love war with this stamp though as my friend loved it so much that the only condition that I could acquire it from her was that I made her a card using it. It's taken me a while to complete my side of the bargain but this will duly be off in the post in the morning to my friend. I just hope that she likes it!

 

I have used:

Copics and prisma pencils,

Papermania papers

Off cut of Ribbon

Pin, present from a friend.

Metal butterfly Ribbon girl I think.

Poinsettia die Magnolia doohickey die.

Tim Holtz bird cage die

Walnut stain distress ink

Brad from stash.

Stampin up sentiment stamp

Sewing machine and

A whole lot of love!

Christmas in January!

Well I say it every year and I never seem to take my own advice, but I really do need to start making my Christmas cards earlier! This year I put myself through the shame of buying cards because I didn't have the time to make them all. I didn't enjoy sending bought cards out as I had absolutely no pride in them, but this year 2014 I WILL make them all! Every single one! So to kick start my pile of beauties here we go, starting with the 2013 Magnolia stamp kit stamps! I experimented a bit here...lots of die cutting and distress ink, free papers.....I WILL whittle down that humungous pile of freebie papers! And I WILL have fun along the way!.....just don't chastise me if I fail!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year all my fellow bloggers. I am sorry that I have been absent for so long but life has been chaotic, so much stress! I'm feeling so much more positive as we enter a new year and I hope that you and yours have a fabulous new year and that everything goes well. Here is a new Tilda that I treated myself to over Christmas as the guy in the red suit chose only to give me one crafty present this year! I didn't have time to leave him a letter though with a list of websites so I guess it's my own fault and to be fair the children in our family did get put first and got what they wanted, so that's more important!

Anyway, the lovely purple princess has set a challenge to make something purple. I seem to have made my last three things in this colour....am I being converted? I'm a pink kinda girl and love my pastels...what's happening to me?

 

Have used:

Magnolia stamps:Sakura Tilda and loving wishes.

 copics,

magnolia dies : peony petals and dragonflies lace

 inkadinkadoo stamps

Cheery Lynn pastry die

Spellbinders dies

Free papers from a magazine.

Stickles crystal glitter glue.

New Girly Challenge

There's a brand new challenge over at Di's digi downloads and this week it's oh so girly! I just love this sweet little lady kissing her froggy! Do pop over to see the rest of the DT makes...absolutely adorable, all of them!

Peeking through the Christmas trees.

Ok folks, how is your Christmas card collection growing? Mine is emerging shall we say. I looked at the list I needed to make for and took a big gulp....am I going to do it this year? I'm not sure! I have a heap of birthdays in December as well, so I'd better get a move on.
Anyway, this little cute Edwin is from my stamp kit from Magnolia that arrived a few weeks ago. I just love this collection, as I do them all.

He has been coloured with copics and the papers were freebies from a magazine last year. I quite like how this one turned out.

Purple fairy

Hi all. With all the Halloween excitement and the wet windy weather what better than a spot of crafting. I have been extraordinarily busy of late so haven't been around much at all. Well with my crafting I have been busy, but I can't show all on my blog as some of the makes are for friends who might just be mooching around these parts!
Anyway, here's my withered fairy from Saturated Canary, all festooned in purple. You gotta love her really. I loved colouring her hair and going to town on all things purple......must have been missing my purple friend ;0) She knows who she is!

Halloween spooking!

Another fortnight has flown by in a sweep of a broom and it's time for another challenge over at Di's digi downloads challenge. This week it's Halloween.
Here's pretty Izzy as a witch........she's just too cute to spook really!

New Challenge over at Di's digi downloads.

Oh, I'm late as ever! This week over at Di's digi download challenges we have the theme of Halloween colours. I should have posted this up yesterday; naughty me, but I had a very early start at work and there wasn't time yesterday for me to post it up. So, apologies to Di and the team. I was doing something very worthwhile though, renewing my first aid certificate! I have the second part next week, so it's another long week!
Anyway here's my little Halloween project using three of Di's fab images. I had a story in mind, hence the three different pictures. It took me ages to colour and get it all together, so I hope it was worth the wait!

Cherry Blossom

Another Saturated Canary image, this time a stamp called Cherry Blossom. I fancied making a shaped card so dug out my Go Kreate dies and had a play.

 

She has been coloured with copics.I haven't added many embellishments as it's quite a large stamp.

Distraction!

I started with good intentions to make Christmas cards, but I confess to getting distracted far too easily! I had already coloured up this cute saturated canary image and so needed to make her up into a card and I came across this beautiful flowery sheer ribbon that was a present from hubby a couple of years ago. I played with my bowdabra and made this beautiful bow. This one was coloured with promarkers. The die cuts are a mixture of joy craft and memory box and the papers are freebies from a magazine.

Dancing with stars Tilda...yay a Christmas card!

I have been so busy not making Christmas careds, that I thought I needed to give myself a good talking to and get on with some! I dug out my MAHOOSIVE collection of Tilda stamps and found this little cutie  from last year's Christmas collection. I have used this one quite a few times and I love her all over again! She has been coloured with copics. A big thanks to my friend, Diane, who sent me the heart pin. xxxx Thanks hunny.xxx

Show off those colouring skills.

The new challenge over at Di's digi downloads is " Show off those colouring skills". Here's my little effort and I loved colouring this cute girlie. do pop over to the challenge blog to join in. We'd love to see what you create.

Tilda on the loose

I really must stop making cards just for my own pleasure and get on with the Christmas ones. The rate I'm going nobody will end up receiving one this year! Still, I did love messing around with this little cutie from one of the older Magnolia collections. This is from the Bon Voyage Collection. Maybe, it's Bon Voyage to these kinds of cards and Bonjour to all the Christmas ones I haven't yet made!

 

Tilda has been coloured with copics and I have used pumice stone distress ink aroud the DPs. Hope you like her!

Happy Birthday Clare.

This is the card I sent the very lovely Clare from Miscanthus crafts.

Blog updates!

Wow, I have been awol for over a month! What have I been doing? Ok, I have been off on hols, been to a fab wedding and behind the scenes I have been making a few cards, but I am struggling to find the time to do everything. My apologies to Di and the team for blogging these cards so late.

August craftbubble friends challenge.

With Craftbubble closing its doors, I really had to join in with Lauren's bubble challenge this month. My card uses a Leanne Ellis stamp from Sugar Nellie, loads of loverly bubbles here! I thought I would also enter this one into the challenge of Anything goes over at the Sugar bowl challenge.

 Having a bit of a sugar Nellie day, as here's another to go with it!

Saturated Canary Pretties.

My crafting is much like buses at the moment! There's nothing for ages and then three come along at once! Can you tell that hubby's at work today and I have been nowhere?!

Back To School challenge.

This week it's back to school for the DT at Di's digi designs challenge. This little cutie has been coloured with promarkers and I have made it for my cousin who starts as a head of department at a new school in September. Do pop over to join in the challenge if you can!

 

This little cutie is perfect for the following challenges.

Clearlyistamp school time

Crafty Calendar challenge - Anything goes

Crafts and me Anything goes

Dutch dare- Back to school.

A little bit of Saturated Canary!

Here's something new, my first use of frantage. I love this stuff and I think everything will get frantage treatment from now onwards! I have coloured my Saturated Canary image with copics and the papers were free ones from a magazine ages ago. The ribbon was cheap stuff from lidl of all places! It's twisted together with the butterfly string of bead things and you can separate them! I also picked up another bargain this week......inktense pencils, half price at WH Smith. I know I have enough colouring mediums already, but I do like to experiment!

 

Thought I might enter this little beauty in to the the papertake weekly challenge, which is anything goes.

Jolly Holly!

Thought I'd join my lovely friends over at Craftbubble and take part in Lilian's Rudolph challenge. Don't faint peeps!

Sweet lady bug

This little ladybug is a fab saturated canary rubber stamp. I bought the papers, stamp and whimsy corner die from the stamp basket, not all at the same time, but over the past few months. The lady there, Janet, is so lovely and gives you a very personal service. Check out the fab blog too.
My image has been coloured with promarkers and the seam binding has been coloured with a dusky rose promarker so that it all co-ordinates. I have never done this before and I am very pleased with how it turned out!
I am entering this in to the saturated canary challenge which is set your creativity free.

New stitching challenge, real or faux.

There's a new challenge over at Di's digi designs this week! This time we want to see stitching real or faux. I have chosen to use Di's fab little Marvin the pirate image! He was perfect for my pirate obsessed 6 year old nephew. I have been singing this song, the whole time I was making him!

 

I am entering this Mr Cutey in to the following challenges.

Cute card Thursday Anything goes

Totally Papercrafts - Inspired by a song.

Crafts and me- Anything goes and

Dutch dare- For a child

Feeling blue?

Looks like I'm enjoying this time off work doesn't it? Here's another from my Magnolia stamp kit!
This one is Beach Tilda, I think.

                                       Ingredients:
                                      Pink Petticoat Beach hut papers and sentiments,
                                      All stamps, Magnolia Summer Breeze stamp kit.
                                      Doohickey swirl die
                                      Ribbon from my friend Diane.
                                      Button, shells,flower and twine from my stash.
                                      Tim Holtz walnut stain distress ink and ranger sea shells ink ( very old, in bottom of stash ink drawer!)

Promarkers used. Coral, sunkissed pink, blush, antique pink, baby pink,Midnight blue, china blue, cornflower blue
Shadow effect - blue slate prisma colour pencil.

I shall enter this card in to the Magnolia-licious challenge _-Anything goes and passion for promarkers challenge which is blue and one other colour, I have chosen blue and brown, but the colours look black! I promise it's brown though!!
                                      

Vintage Violet

I just adore this pretty girl from Staurated Canary and have gone to town with my pretties! Most of my pretties came from the Ribbon Girl and my image has been coloured with promarkers.

Salute her! Sea breeze .

Oh two days off of work! What is a girl to do? Housework............well I should, that bedroom cupboard really needs cleaning, but look at all my crafty stuff just glinting at me and this cute little charm arrived in the post this morning from My Crafty Heart, so I couldn't resist, I had to play ......the housework can wait til tomorrow?? I just need to play today! Me time, it's bliss!
I have gone all vintage,way out of my comfort zone, so this was quite an experience!

 

Ingredients: 

Stamps, all from Magnolia stamp kits.

Tim Holtz - Walnut stain distress ink.

Old papermania papers

Lace

Doily - blog candy win  from the lovely Vicky

Charm- My crafty heart

Backgrounds of stamped images all coloured with tan promarker.

Promarkers used: Coral, sunkissed pink, baby pink, burnt sienna, cinnamon, tan and putty.

I am entering this one in to the following challenges.

Ribbon girl - lace

Shamefully late.

I am a bit late with my card for the new challenge over at Di's digi designs, but isn't this image adorable. Di's lovely images are soon to be appearing in rubber , so all you peeps that don't like digi, should soon be able to use Di's lovely images in their rubber form! Way to go! Our challenge this week is weddings/anniversaries. Here's my effort. I used stampin up papers, promarkers and pretties from the ribbon girl. Must dash off I have  a train to catch in under an hour.. Life has been very stressy this week and today is a day of rest, but I have to run!!

Beach wedding card.

My beautiful cousin is getting married on the beach in Cornwall in September and I wanted to make a card that fits the theme. You just can't buy cards like that can you? I know she loves my fussy, fancy, heavy on the " pretties"type creations so I have had to oblige. All my bits and bobs have come from the ribbon girl, love that on line shop! Some of the flowers are from my stash and the papers are Stampin up ones purchased from my lovely friend Diane. I struggled to get this card together, so I hope she likes it. The image was coloured with promarkers. At least she won't have another card like this!
What do you think? I thought I'd enter this in to the Tilda's Town challenge of anything goes.

Chasing my tail.

I have a few snatched minutes before I have to head out for the day. We have a new challenge over at Di's digi designs and this week it's paper piecing. I confess that I love it but it's quite time consuming and so not ideal if you're short on time. Here's my effort anyway and the card for the previous challenge as I was away on my hols when this challenge came out. Images have been coloured with promarkers.

 

Oh What a Beautiful Morning!

Morning all, what a beautiful morning here in Bath, shame I have too much to do to enjoy it! We have a new challenge over at Di's digi designs and this week we are thinking about beautiful borders. When I saw Di's little Sunflower bear, I just had to use him to make a card for my Mum's birthday yesterday. My Poor Mum has been through the mill a bit these last few weeks, two operations and a severe nosebleed, so bad that she had to be hospitalised, but I'm so pleased that she's now like a new woman! The operations were a success, as she underwent pioneering treatment at our local hospital and the op was filmed to be used as training. It made my Mum laugh that her veins will be famous for years to come!
Anyway, I digress, my gorgeous image is Sunflower bear and I dug out my promarkers to colour this cutie, a couple of dies and a wee bit of stitching and it's job done!

I am entering this card in to the following challenges.
Allsorts - In the Garden
I love Promarkers - All stitched up.
Cupcake Craft challenges - Summer Scene
Papertake weekly - Anything goes

I'm away but pop over to the new challenge!

There's a new challenge over at Di's digi designs today and it's things with wings. This is mine. I have scheduled this post so hope it posts! I'm away this weekend, hopefully enjoying sunshine???!

Bikini and burger girl.

This little sweetie is another Saturated Canary image. Yes I know! You're getting the picture! I simply love them! This one was a freebie with an order, sadly no longer free but available to buy in Krista's shop.

 

I thought I'd enter this card in to the Joanna Sheen challenge which is girls, girls, girls. Oh to have a skinny body like this lovely lady eh? I don't eat burgers, but I don't have a body like that either! I have used stampin up papers, a gift from my lovely friend, a joy crafts die, lace, seashell buttons and flowers from my stash and seam binding from the ribbon girl. My image has been coloured with copics and promarkers and the sentiment is an old stampin up one.

Tilda's Town challenge

Happy Sunday all. Today I am showing an older Tilda stamp. I love this one, she is a bit of a messy cook just like me sometimes! I am entering this card in to the tildas town challenge blog which is something old, something new. The Tilda is an older one and the papers and whispy swirl die are new.

Bunch of flowers.

Here's another beautiful Tilda from one of my stamp club kits. Isn't she sweet? I don't need to say that I have used stampin up papers and beautiful blooms that were a present from a beautiful friend for my birthday. She knows who she is! My image has been coloured with copics and I have used walnut stain distress ink on the edges of my papers I have also used two memory box dies and a doohickey christmas ribbons die for my sentiment. The resin flowers were what I picked up on Friday whilst browsing, they are dovecraft ones and very pretty!

Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket!

Oh I feel like singing this morning. I don't know why! Well this little pretty is Tilda catching falling stars and isn't she sweet?

 

I have used paper piecing for her dress. Stampin up vintage springtime papers from my friend, walnut stain distress ink, spellbinder, cheery lynn and magnolia dies and the little hearts were won as blog candy from the very lovely talented and clever Vicky. Brads were from my stash and the sparkly button was from the ribbon girl. I am going to enter this card into the marvellous magnolia challenge where the theme is anything goes.

Di's digi challenge Bring on the bling!

Good Morning folks, I hope the sun is shining wherever you are and that it sparkles on your bling! Yes we have a brand new challenge over at Di's digi designs challenge blog and our theme is " Show us your bling"
I have used a really cute fairy Izzy on my card with retired papers from stampin up bought from my friend Diane. It looks as though somebody has snaffled all the papers that I used but Diane does have others for sale. Pop over and say I sent you!

I have coloured my image with copics and plenty of glamour dust, used a marianne circular die and doohickey dies. The hellebore die is my favourite, such cute flowers! I have used stampin up papers and a sparkly button from the ribbon girl.
Hope you like her!
I am entering this card in to the following challenges.

Natalie and Amy challenge -things with wings
Divas by design - Anything goes
ABC Challenge - M for make it sparkle
As you like it challenge - Favourite die