A Nightmare before Christmas

Hi everyone,
So sorry I have been awol for a while. I don't have a card to share with you today but just thought I'd let you know why I haven't been about.
Well it all started last Saturday morning, I arrived at the shop at 8.15 to find that my workshop had been flooded due to thawing ice and snow running off the flat roof of the property behind mine, running down the walkway and straight under my workshop door! Well I had a class due to start at 10am and as my wonderful ladies arrived to begin crafting they were met by total chaos. I could not have asked more as they all set to work trying to save stock and sweep water away, unfortunately just as we all felt that a class may be possible with cardboard under our feet the water started again but this time with much more force as the pipes had now burst and the water was rushing in. One customer raced to get me sandbags and eventually the stopcock was found and the water turned off.
However, the drama did not stop there and as they say things come in three's. The phone rang and mum took the call and as she passed me the phone I knew something was up! A voice said "I am so sorry darling I am laying on a car park floor in Lincoln and I think I've broken my ankle" The voice belonged to my husband who had slipped on the ice and actually broken his ankle and his leg and needed surgery to pin him back together.
I trust you understand that crafting has not been my main priority and I will be taking a little break from my DT commitments. I will try and post some projects that I haven't yet shared with you as soon as I get a spare few minutes.
I would like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Hugs
Clare
x

ABC DT J is for Jewels and Sugar Nellie Wow Competition

Good morning everyone,
Well it's time again for another challenge over at ABC. We have reached the letter J so we would like to see your creations using Jewels and Gems. We are sponsored by the fab Simon Says who is offering an amazing $25 voucher to use in their online store.
I have chosen to use the gorgeous 'Artistic Goddess' from the wonderfully quirky new Simply Sassy collection from Sugar Nellie.

I am entering this card into the fabulous Simply Sassy Competition that Karen is running over on the Sugar Nellie blog? You really need to get over there and have a go as there are some amazing prizes up for grabs. The main prize is the new fantastic Spellbinders Grand Calibur machine which I would love to win. Also Karen is looking for a new member for the Simply Sassy DT and I absolutely adore this range, they are really funky. Anyway all you need to do to enter is to create a White on White card and add any one of the Simply Sassy images which must be coloured. You can find out all about the competition here

I have coloured this beauty with ProMarkers and for the background I have used loads of Cuttlebug embossing folders to give texture to what could be a very plain backdrop. Lots of flourishes and bling to finish and voile!

Magical Mondays Challenge 'Wings'

Hello!
I hope you are all good and the chilly white stuff is not causing you too much distress. I feel it may be a little quiet in the shop this week but I really can't blame people for not venturing out.
Anyway I'd better stop my rambling and get on with the task at hand. Today is the start of another fab challenge over at Magical Mondays this time we want to focus on 'Wings'. Please remember the whole idea behind this wonderful challenge blog is to promote all that is Magical, so whatever theme or sketch that is asked for every entry must use a magical image or it will not be counted. Well enough of the strict stuff here is my contribution for the DT.

I have coloured this gor -geous angel Tilda with ProMarkers and teamed her with some beautiful DP's from GCD's 'Paris Nights' collection. The frame is from a wonderful die set by Marianne D and the border punch is my fave from Martha Stewart.
I added some lace, velvet ribbon, flowers and bling from my stash to finish.

I am entering this into the following challenges:
Quirky Crafts - #39 Cazzy's Recipe 'Black, White and 1 Other (Black, White and Cream)
Allsorts - #80 'Monochrome'
Crafty Creations - #95 'Christmas is Coming'
Daring Cardmakers - 'Spotty, Stripey Christmas'
Passion for Promarkers - 'Old and New' (Tilda stamp is very new and this was my very first MS punch so pretty old)

Thank you so much for visiting my little corner of Blogland and I hope you all have a fab week.

I is for...... 'Ice and Snow' ABC Challenge

Good Afternoon!

Apologies this should have been posted yesterday but I was having a real nightmare with blogger!

Anyway, it's time for another ABC Challenge and this time we want you to think of Ice and Snow for the letter I.

This week we are sponsored by Wags and Whiskers, whom have kindly donated a fab prize.

Please remember you can only combine our challenge with a maximum of 4 others, you can enter more than once but each time must be a different project, ie card, layout etc

I have chosen to make a word book using some gorgeous paper from Basic Grey's Jovial collection and teamed it with lots of lovely images from Magnolia. I created the letters on my computer using the font 'Rockwell' then printed them onto card and covered with the DP's.

I spritzed the entire book with Irridescent Gold Glimmer Mist for some added sparkle then coloured for England yeah! I used a Marrianne D snowflake die set to embellish and plenty of ribbon from my stash.

I know it will be a bit long winded but in case you wish to know what I've used I will include a ProMarker crib sheet for each of the characters.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

I Love Promarkers - #42 'Anthing Goes - with a bit of Sparkle'

Passion for Promarkers - 'Old and New' (Old stamps, and New papers)

A Spoonfull of Sugar - #131 'Anything Goes'

ABC Christmas Challenge - 'X is for Xmas'

Really Reasonable Ribbon - #12 'Christmas Theme'

Pile it On - #46 'Winter Means...' (Snow)

Totally Papercrafts - #43 'Snow and Snowflakes'

Top Tip Tuesday - #11 'Layer on Layer'

Simon Says - 'Let it Snow'

ProMarker Recipe for Snowman

Hat and Scarf: Pear Green, Moss

Hat Trim and Bobble: Ivory, Vanilla

Gloves: Poppy, Crimson

Buttons: Cool Grey 4 and 5

Nose: Apricot

ProMarker Recipe for Unwrapped Tilda
Skin: Blush, Soft Peach
Hair: Sandstone, Cinnamon, Cocoa
Apron: Ivory and Vanilla
Dress Sleeves and Hair Bow: Cool Aqua
Socks: Ivory, Vanilla, Cool Aqua
Box: Sandstone, Cinnamon
Wrapping Paper: Poppy, Crimson
Label: Pear Green
Tag and String: Ivory, Vanilla, Sandstone

Santa's Little Helper:
Skin: Blush, Soft Peach
Hair: Sandstone, Cinnamon
Hat and Dress: Poppy, Crimson
Apron and Hat Trim: Ivory Vanilla
Tights: Ivory, Vanilla, Pear Green, Moss

Edwin and Tilda Skating

Edwin

Skin: Blush, Soft Peach

Hair: Sandstone, Cinnamon

Hat and Jumper: Cinnamon, Shale

Hat Trim: Ivory and Vanilla

Jeans: Cornflower, Midnight Blue

Gloves: Sandstone, Cinnamon

Boots: Pastel Blue, Cool Grey 3

Tilda

Skin: Blush, Soft Peach

Hair: Cinnamon, Cocoa, Shale

Coat and Gloves: Poppy, Crimson

Coat Trim and Socks: Ivory and Vanilla

Boots: Pear Green, Moss, Cool Grey3

I finished the book by distressing everything with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.

Hope you like this project and I look forward to seeing your work over at ABC.

Happy Crafting!

Boutique Tilda

Good morning to all in blogland,
Here is another little Tilda creation I wanted to share with you all. I wanted to be able to create a Tilda card for an older girlie so I went for a very sassy mix of black, white and and my favourite hot pink. I loved this boutique image from the Bon Voyage collection and Tilda weighed down with all her shopping bags is just adoreable.

I went for a regular easel design but then decided I wanted Tilda to pop out so I added a second little easel attachment to let her make a statement. I then added loads of layered pink flowers and heaps of gems to add the compulsary bling! I distressed the bunting to give it more of a fabric feel and added faux stitching to make the images pop!

I am entering this in the following challenges:

Quirky Crafts - #39 Recipe by Cazzy 'Black, White and 1 Other and Punches

Passion for ProMarkers - #78 'Stitching and Distressing'

Fresh Brewed Designs - #23 'Show off Your Style'

Paper Romance - #25 'Your Favourite Things' (Pink and Shopping)

Southern Girls - #6 'Your Favourite Colour' (Hot Pink)

Simon Says - 'Sparkle'

ProMarker Colour Recipe:

Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink

Hair: Cool Grey 1,3,4,5

Top and Shopping Bags: Pink Carnation and Fuschia

Handbag: Cool Grey 4,5

Trousers: Cool Grey 1 and 3

Shoes: Cool Grey 1,3 and 4

Brickwork: Cool Grey 1 and 3

Boutique Sign: Fuschia

Clear Glitter Pen for window detail

'Let it Snow' for Magical Mondays Challenge

Good Morning all,
It's time for another challenge over on Magical Mondays and we're looking for a wintery feel with the theme 'Let it Snow'. So if you haven't already made a start on your Christmas cards perhaps now is the time.

I have used the beautiful 'Faerie Fae' digi from Tiddly Inks. The stunning shimmery DP's are from The Paper Company and I loved working with this sketch from Quirky Crafts by Lyn.
I have added loads of snowflakes (Martha Stewart punches) and even more stickles for that wintery sparkle.
I am entering this into the following challenges:
DCD's Christmas Club - #43 'Snowflakes'
No Time To Stamp - #165 'Non Traditional Christmas Colours'
Fairy Tale Challenge - 'Everything Goes'
Stamp Something - 'Use Something Digital'
Delightful - 'Glitter it Up'
A Spoonfull of Sugar - #129 'Snow/Snowflakes'
Sweet Stampin - 'All About Snowflakes'
Quirky Crafts - #38 'Spyder's Quirky Sketch'
I Love ProMarkers - #40 'Icy Colours'
Secret Crafter - 'Sparkle and Shine'
Wild Orchid - #10 'Blue Christmas'

ProMarker Colour Recipe:
Skin: Blush, Soft Peach
Hair: Buttercup, Tulip Yellow, Gold
Dress and Shoes: Pastel Blue, Blue Pearl

A Little Bit of Attitude!!!

The lovely Lorraine over at Lorraines Place has very kindly given me this fab blog award!
Huge thanks hunny!

There are a few rules that go along with it though. Oh, and a $5 gift certificate if you follow them.

1. Share 3 things about me.
a) I used to show, groom and judge Old English Sheepdogs.
b) My first job was sorting and valuing rough diamonds.
c) I love Harry Potter and can't wait to see the latest film!

2. Pass this on to 5 people and these are some blogs I love.

Kelly
Nicki
Chrissy
Trisha
Heidi

3. Display the blog award in your sidebar and link it back to the DIGI'S WITH ATTITUDE challenge blog (then click on the link on the blog to claim your gift).

Thanks again Lorraine you are a star :-)

H is for Holidays (Christmas)

Good morning to all in the land of blog.
Well it's time for another challenge over at ABC and we're up to the letter H already, and this time H is for Holidays (Christmas).  We are also very lucky to be sponsered by the fabulous Lili of the Valley.
I thought it was about time I made a start on my Christmas cards so this was the perfect challenge to get me in the Christmas mood.
I dug out my gorgeous Snow Juggler stamp from Sugar Nellie and got him inky. I used some Papermania DP's from last year I think they were called 'Home for Christmas' but don't quote me on that! The ticket stamp is from Magnolia and the felt snowflakes were also from Papermania. As always I used my trusty ProMarkers to colour and distressed everything using Antique Linen Distress Ink. Finally I added a touch of Stardust Stickles to make the snowballs sparkle

Hope to see you over at ABC and remember have fun!

I am entering this into the following challenges:
A Crafty Little Place - #64 'Red, White and Green'
A Spoonfull of Sugar - #129 'Snow/Snowflakes'
Paper Sundaes - #43 'Let it Snow'
ABC Christmas - 'W is for Winter Wonderland'
Wild Orchid - #9 'Classic Christmas'

Magical Mondays Challenge - Sketch

Good evening all!
Apologies for being sooo late with my DT card for Magical Mondays but at least I have managed to post it on the right day! We had a fabulous sketch to work with from our very own Heidi and it was great fun to work with. I went for pretty lilacs, Basic Grey Kioshi DP's and the lovely fairy Tilda with her rose. We also have a fab prize supplied by the lovely Jayne so why not pop over to Magical Mondays and have a look.

ProMarker Colour Recipe:
Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink
Hair: Sandstone, Cinnamon, Shale
Dress: Lilac, Bluebell
Bows: Orchid
Rose: Tea Green, Grey Green, Pear Green

G is for Glitter ABC Challenge DT card

Good morning!
Sorry I haven't been around for the last week but I have been busy preparing for my hubby's 30th birthday which is on Saturday, so I am expecting a housefull of guests for the weekend.
Anyway I did manage to find time to create my DT card for this fortnights ABC Challenge. The theme this time is G is for Glitter, another nice easy theme to get stuck into. We are also being sponsored by the fabulous Simon Says so all the more reason to join in.

I chose to use the beautiful Chinese Tilda from the Bon Voyage collection. I teamed her with the equally beautiful Magnolia Tree paper which gave me the inspiration for my colour palette. Everything has been edged with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and then plenty of Stardust Stickles has beed applied. I also sprayed the whole card liberally with Pearl Glimmer Mist to make sure that nothing went unglittered!
I am entering this in the following challenges:
Totally Gorjuss - Challenge 53 'Sparkle'
The Shabby Tea Room - #33 'Consider it Cased' (I chose to case Clare's wonderful colour palette of pink, duck egg blue and cream)
A Spoonfull of Sugar - #127 'Lets get Punchy' (I used nestabilities and a Sizzix Sizzlits die)
Creative Card Crew - Let's Punch It!

ProMarker Colour Recipe:
Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink
Hair: Cool Grey 1,3,4,5
Kimono: Pale Pink, Baby Pink
Trim, Sandals and Parasol: Tea Green, Grey Green
Dress: Ivory, Vanilla
Parosol Handle and Wooden Struts: Sandstone, Cinnamon
Cherry Blossom on Dress: Cinnamon, Baby Pink

Halloween Magical Mondays DT Card

Good morning all!
This morning sees the start of another challenge over at Magical Mondays and it's a fab 'Halloween' theme. So be sure to dig out your witchy stamps and give it a go. I am sponsoring this weeks challenge and have put up some goodies from my shop 'Cloudnine Crafts' for a prize. These include a gorgeous 6x6 DP pad from SEI, a Large pack of flowers from Flora Doodles and a lovely Tilda stamp from Magnolia.
Anyway this week for my Halloween DT contribution I chose to use the great Witchy Digi from TGF and the wonderful DP's are from the spooktackular 'Eerie' collection by Basic Grey. I created the Moon with a circular nestie and coloured it with my ProMarkers then I added punched spiky twiggy bits to look like an old spooky tree. The gem and pearl swirls are a bit dark to see on the picture but the thought was there. Well enough from me hope to see you all entering this fortnights challenge and good luck.
Hugs
Clare
x

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Passion for ProMarkers - #73 Colour Theme 'Orange, Black, Green and Purple'

Stampin for the Weekend - #49 Halloween/Fall

Stamp Something - Halloween Somethings

Really Reasonable Ribbon - #10 'Halloween'

Allsorts - #74 'Let's Play Bingo' I used the Pearls, Stickles and Ribbon Righthand Column

Digi's With Attitude - #2 Colour Theme 'Orange, Green, Purple'

 

ProMarker Colour Recipe:

Skin: Blush, Pale Pink

Hair and Boots: Cool Grey 3 and 4, Black

Eyes: Pear Green

Hat and Dress: Purple, Pear Green

Broomstick: Sandstone, Cinnamon

Autumnal Raven

Hi everyone!
I hope you have all had a great week and are enjoying your weekend. I wanted to share with you a card I designed for a class with an Autumnal feel. The beautiful image is Raven from Sugar Nellie and I thought she'd look great with the gorgeous warm DP's from the Indian Summer collection from Basic Grey. All edges were distressed with Walnut Stain then I added lts of leaves, lace and bling!

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Paper Sundaes - A Change of Season

Basic Grey - #31 'Autumn/Harvest Time'

Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C59 'Fall/Autumn'

I used Spiced Marmalade and Fired Brick Distress Ink Pads to colour the oval nestie.

Raven's Little Close Up

ProMarker Colour Recipe:

Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink

Hair: Cool Grey 5

Hat and Coat: Apricot, Ginger

Hat Trim and Buttons: Burgandy

Wellies and Scarf: Antique Pink, Burgandy

Tights: Burnt Orange, Ginger

Dress: Saffron, Antique Pink

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz honey bee, honey bee!! F is for....... Flowers

Good morning,
Is it just me or is this weather a little confused at the moment. I drove all the way to Leistershire on Sunday to check out a papercrafting show as I will be exhibiting there myself next year and it was more like a summers day!
Anyway it has seriously got me in a sunny mood and I thought I would tackle a yellow themed card. As some of you already know yellow is most definately not my colour and I have to really put my mind to it to produce anything that I'm happy with, so today I would like to share with you my Sunny Honey Tilda card. This is my DT card for The ABC Challenge which this time is 'F is for.... Flowers' a really easy challenge theme so why not give it a go, also we are being sponsored by the fabulous Wild Orchid Crafts.

I have used the fabulous Honey Tilda and gently sat her on the Magnolia Big Daisy. I have coloured my image with ProMarkers and chalked the background. I used Papermania's new white mulberry paper flowers and coloured them with my ProMarkers to match the papers. This great layout was inspired by the sketch over at Friday Sketchers and I used Doodlebug Pot Pourri DP's to create it. I alos used one of the beautiful Martha Stewart punches to create the border, Nestabilities for the frame and accented with Bo Bunny Double Dot Ribbon, Stardust Stickles and Prima Gems.
I am entering this into the following challenges:
Friday Sketchers - Challenge #123 sponsored by Motivet
Stamp Something - 'Something Punchy'
Just Magnolia - Week 76 '2 x 2' (2 Flower sprays, Double edge punched border, 2 bows, 2 DP's, 2 Gem Accents)
City Crafter Challenge - CCCB Week 26 'Take Flight'
Craftalicious - Challenge #10 'Anything Goes'
Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C58 'Birthdays'

ProMarker Colour Recipe:
Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink
Hair: Buttercup, Tulip Yellow, Gold
Bee Costume: Cool Grey 3 and 4, Black, Buttercup, Tulip Yellow, Sunflower
Daisy: Tulip Yellow, Sunflower, Gold
Daisy Stem: Bright Green, Pear Green

More From The Greetings Farm

Evening all,

Hope you are all geared up for a fab weekend. This is just a quick post, as promised here is another little creation using one of the gorgeous little guys 'Dylan' from TGF Roll Call Kit. I used the fab Max and Whiskers Dp's from Basic Grey. The button is from Martha Stewart and was finished with some wax cord.

ProMarker Colour Recipe:

Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink

Eyes: Cool Aqua

Hair: Ivory, Vanilla , Mustard

Top and Shorts: Saffron, Apricot

Vest and Trainers: Cinnamon, Shale

Spots and Stripes

Good Evening!
Wow can't believe this is my 3rd post in 2 days I am on fire (or not!). Anyway I've had loads of the cute characters from The Greetings Farm Roll Call Kit coloured in for ages so I decided to use the gorgeous 'Summer' and create a clean and crisp red, white and blue design. The fab sketch came from Sketch Saturday and this card also fits the challenge over at A Spoon Full of Sugar which is 'Spots and Stripes'.

ProMarker Colour Recipe:
Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink
Hair: Buttercup, Tulip Yellow, Gold
Hair Ties and Belt: Cobalt
Top and Shoes: Poppy
Jeans: Cornflower, Midnight Blue

Magical Monday's 'Back to Nature' Challenge DT Card

Good Morning Bloggers!
It's time again for another challenge over at Magaical Mondays this time we're getting 'Back to Nature' so think leaves, trees, flowers etc. We are very lucky to be sponsored by Wild Orchid Crafts so make sure you join us!

I decided to make a gift box using the gorgeous 'Indian Summer' DP's from Basic Grey which I distressed with Walnut Stain and then added faux stitching to. The sketch came from Friday Sketchers and was a joy to use. Obviously I went for an autumnally feel so I embellished with twiggy brances and punched leaves. The large flower is by Papermania and was coloured with ProMarkers. This beautiful image from Sweet Pea was coloured with ProMarkers and distressed with Spiced Marmalade and Barn Door Distress Ink. The whole box has been sprayed with Irridescent Gold Glimmer Mist and to add extra sparkle the wings and rose have been seriously Stickled!

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Friday Sketchers - #122 'Sketch'
Simon Says - It's Autumn'


ProMarker Colour Recipe:
Skin: Saffron, Pale Pink
Hair: Raw Sienna, Terracotta, Henna
Dress: Soft Peach, Peach, Burgandy
Wings: Apricot, Ginger
Rose: Pale Pink, Antique Pink
Leaves: Pear Green

Hope you all have a great crafty week
Hugs
Clare
x

Mermaid Tilda

Afternoon all,

Well what a miserable Sunday it's wet and horrible here. However just put away a very nice Sunday dinner and am sitting here with a big mug of freshly brewed coffee surrounded by my crafty stash. Had great fun finishing my DT project for tomorrow mornings Magical Monday Challenge, so I hope to see you all giving our next challenge a go.
Anyway for now I have a Magnolia project to share with you. Last week I ran a workshop on how to incorporate acetate into your projects and this is one of the cards made. I used 3 of the gorgeous images from the Bon Voyage collection - Mermaid Tilda, Sea view Background and the Seaweed. The acetate front of the card was secured with a tab sandwiched between the back of the card and the DP was used to cover the join. I stamped the seaweed along the botton of the acetate panel using Stazon then glittered it. Then I stamped and coloured the other 2 images and applied the mermaid to the front of the acetate panel and stuck the sea view inside the card. The greeting is by Hero Arts which I layered up and attached to the front.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

Just Magnolia - Week 75 'Anything Goes'

Crafty Catz - #52 'A Birthday Card for a Child with Sparkle'

Paper Sundaes - #38 'Something from your Stash' (Haven't used my acetate for ages!)

Stamp Something - 'Something to Celebrate'

Creative Cottages - #24 'Bling it On!' (check out the glittery seaweed)

Basic Grey Challenges - #30 'Sparkle'

Here's a little close up of Tilda:

ProMarker Colour Recipe:
Mermaid Tilda
Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink
Hair: Buttercup, Tulip Yellow, Gold
Shell Top and Tail: Pink Carnation, Fuschia Pink

Sea Background
Porthole Rim and Boat Hull: Sandstone, Cinnamon
Sails: Ivory
Sky: Pastel Blue
Sea: Tea Green, Denim Blue



Rebel Edwin!!! E is for Easel Cards

Good morning!,

Yeah it's time for another challenge over at ABC and this time we want to see Easel cards, we are lucky to be sponsored by Secret Crafter so worth a go. I thought it was about time I made a card for the boys so here is the lovely Grafitti Edwin from Magnolia. I also used the Brickwall and Grafitti Happy Birthday to create the scene.

I used black Coredinations and embossed it with a Cuttlebug embossing folder then sanded it to give it a grungey look. The stars and arrows were cut on the Cricut and I added some MS Punched buttons to add some colour. The Easel is held up with a silver metal star brad. I hope you like him, he is definately one of my favourite Edwins.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

Just Magnolia - Week 74 'Dawny's Sketch'

Tuesday Throwdown - Challenge#19 'Punches'

365 Cards - Day 213 'The 3 B's: Boy, Button, Black'

ProMarker Colour Recipe:

Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink

Hair: Sandstone, Cinnamon

Top and Trainers: Poppy, Berry Red, Cool Grey 1 & 2

Belt: Cool Grey 4

Jeans: Cornflower, Midnight Blue

Tilda Graduates

Evening All, I hope you are all a little cheerier than the weather here! It's been grey and miserable here all day. I am beginning to lose my faith in an Indian Summer. Anyway, never mind my moaning I have finally managed to get some crafting done and should hopefully manage a few more posts this week. I wanted to share this little graduation card with you which I made for one of my classes. The theme for the class was 'Paper Techniques' so for this card I used paper weaving. The scalloped frame was cut on the Cricut and as always the lovely Tilda was coloured with ProMarkers. The sentiment stamp is also from Magnolia and is great for so many occasions. 

I am entering this in the following challenges:

Spoon Full of Sugar - Challenge #122 'Anything Goes'

Ooh-La-La-Challenge - Challenge #63 'Sentiment'

ProMarker Colour Recipe:

Gown, Shoes and Mortar Board: Cool Grey 2, 3, 4 & 5

Hair: Raw Sienna, Terracotta, Henna

Tassle: Berry Red

Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink

Scroll: Satin, Vanilla

Underwater Fun

Good morning,
Hope everyone had a fab weekend. We had a monsoon on Sunday so am hoping for some sunshine this week! Anyway I had a great day crafting as the weather wasn't good enough for much else yeah!

So, today see's a new challenge over at ABC and it's a wonderful one. This time we want to see creations with the theme of 'Under the Sea'. We are being sponsored by our very own lovely Lacey and her store Stamp and Create. I would like to say a huge thank you to Lacey as she provided all of the DT with a fabulous stamp of their choice and a package of other lovely goodies. I chose to use the beautiful Calliope from Kraftin Kimmie along with some stunning Dp's from the Kioshi collection from Basic Grey. The gorgeous silk ribbon was from Lacey and the stamped greeting (which I use all the time) was a freebie from DoCrafts magazine. I used my ProMarkers to colour and added Glossy Accents to the cute octopus and added some flat back pearls as bubbles. I loved using this sketch which is the challenge over at I love ProMarkers.

Anyway thanks for looking and also thank you in advance to all of you who take the time to leave a much appreciated comment. I hope to find lots of your creations over at ABC and can't wait to getting hopping round your blogs.

Hugs

Clare

x

Challenges I am entering:
I Love Promarkers - Challenge #32 'Sketch with optional theme'
Crafty Catz - Challenge #50 'Colour Combo - Chocolate and Green'
Totally Gorjuss - Challenge #48 'Wild Thing'

ProMarker Colour Recipe:
Skin: Saffron, Soft Peach
Hair: Cinnamon, Cocoa, Shale
Tail: Cinnamon, Shale
Fins: Vanilla, Saffron,  Cinnamon, Shale
Octopus: Pear Green, Moss

D is for Distressing.......

Good morning bloggers!

Wow I can't believe it's time for another challenge over at ABC we are now up to the letter 'D' so it's time for a little distressing. I chose to use the fab sketch from Magnolia Down Under teamed with the gorgeous Fairytale Tilda and her froggy friend. Once again I used the beautiful 'Ella Blue' Dp's from GCD, ooh they are soo yummy. As usual I coloured my image with ProMarkers then distressed everything with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink then added loads of Stardust Stickles. I made the flowers spritzing them with water to further distress them then I srayed them with Irridescent Gold Glimmer Mist and added some more stickles.



I am entering this in the following challenges:
Magnolia Down Under - #63 'Sketch'
Paper Sundaes - #35 'Use at Least 3 Different Embellishments' (I used lace, pearls a charm and flowers)
Totally Gorjuss - #47 'Flowers'

ProMarker Colour Recipe:
Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink
Hair: Sandstone, Cinnamon and Cocoa
Dress: Cool Aqua
Frog: Pear Green, Moss

Retail Therapy for Anya!

Evening peeps!
Thought it was about time I pulled my finger out and posted something. This is a card I was asked to make for an 18th birthday. The guidelines were a little stricter than usual so I haven't really warmed to the design. I do love the images but not so thrilled with the layout. I seemed to have used this collection of papers by MME for a lot of designs lately and maybe that's the problem. Anyway I did enjoy colouring Anya so not all bad.

Close Up of Anya

ProMarker Colour Recipe:
Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink
Hair: Buttercup, Tulip Yellow, Gold
Hairband, Stripes on top & Boots: Pale Pink, Antique Pink
Bag: Cool Aqua

Magical Mondays Challenge DT Card - Lace

Good Morning,

Today see's the start of Magical Mondays next challenge. The theme this time is lace and we are being kindly sponsored by Stitchy Bear Stamps where you will find a huge range of Digi stamps for sale.

Now remember the whole idea of the Magical Mondays challenge is to use your fantasy images so think magic!!! ie fairies, witches, mermaids, dragons etc

I have chosen to use this fab image 'Goth Angel' by Stitchy Bear and thought I'd revisit my goth days and go all out with the purple and black, oooh feeling so nostalgic! I actually used to wear even more make up than this gorgeous goth and most of mine was black!!!

Anyway back to the card, The DP's are from Magnolia, the swirls are from a Marianne D die set (fast becoming my most used dies) and the image is coloured with ProMarkers as always and distressed with Black Soot distress ink. Ooh nearly forgot the gorgeous silver embellishment is from a set of brads from Dovecraft.

Hope you like her.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will come and join us at Magical Mondays.

Hugs

Clare

x

I am entering the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursday - #128 'Material Girl'

Oh Alice - #29 'What Makes You Shine or Sparkle'

Pocket Full of Posies - #6 'Floral Fantasy'

Paper Sundaes - #34 'Mixed Mediums' (ProMarkers, Chalk, Distress Inks)

Creative Cottage - #22 'Celebrations'

I Love ProMarkers - #30 'Myth and Magic'

Haunted Design House - #55 'Elegantly Evil'

ProMarker Colour Recipe:

Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink

Hair and Eyeshadow: Orchid, Bluebell

Eyes: Pear Green

C.... is for Charms ABC DT Card

Good morning everyone,

Its time for another fab challenge over at ABC this time the theme is 'C is for Charms'. So it's time to raid your stash and start adding the metal!!.This challenge is being sponsored by the lovely Nicki from BunnyZoe's she is offering a a fab prize of £10 to spend in her shop on charms of your choice.
So on to my card, I have been dying to use this Vintage Sewing set by Creative Expressions and this challenge seemed perfect as I knew I had this super cute little heart charm engraved with 'made with love'. As you can see the colours were kept ultra simple, I used ivory card and French Roast Coredinations. I stamped the images with Walnut Stain distress ink and distressed the edges with Frayed Burlap.

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Sweet Stampin - #41 'Distressed Birthdays'
Sir Stampalot - 'All Distressed'


Super cute charm close up



Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs

Clare

x

Big Birthday Blog Candy Winner!!!!!

Good evening

Well, finally it's time for me to announce the winner of my Big Birthday Candy. Firstly I'd like to thank everyone for taking part and for all the wonderful birthday wishes. I do hope hope you all continue to follow my blog and I hope you enjoy my creations also don't forget to keep watching for future candy giveaways!.

Now on to the important bit... I received 213 comments so I entered this into the random picky thing and it finally decided on Number 7

Congratulations Julie you are the lucky winner!

So Julie if you could contact me and send me your details I'll get all the goodies sent out to you and I hope you enjoy using them as much as I enjoyed choosing them.

Thanks again to everyone for joining in with my Birthday celebrations.

Hugs

Clare

x

Big Birthday Blog Candy!!!!!

'Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me'.......

Well it's that time of year again so I thought a great way to celebrate would be to post some fabulous yummy calorie free Candy!!!!
This post will remain at the top of my blog until 3oth August when the draw will close then I will announce the winner on August 31st.



I have worked out that this little lot would cost you around £100 so well worth a go don't you think? So here is a list of everything that's included:

12" x 12" Doodlebug Paper Collection in Cupcake Pink

Doodlebug Cupcake Boutique Trims Ribbon Collection

Set of Nestabilities - Scalloped Heart

6" x 6" Basic Grey Eva Paper Collection

Martha Stewert Double Embossed Button Punch

Tattered Angels Glimmer Screens - Graceful Journey

Prima E Line Flowers

Set of Prima E Line Pearls and Crystals

Marianne D Creatables Butterfly Die

Tattered Angels 'Tattered Leather' Glimmer Mist

Magnolia Stamp 'Tilda Picking Lilacs'

Magnolia Stamp 'Tilda Brings a Flower'

Penny Black Slapstick Stamp 'Fly Away'

Various bunches of Mulberry Flowers

So on to the important thing all I would like you to do for a chance to win is:

1. Firstly I would like you post a pic of the candy on your blog or in your sidebar then link back to this here blog.
2. Secondly become a follower so I can keep you posted on more candy to come.

3. You must leave a comment at the end of THIS post as the draw will be from the names in this particular comment box.

Finally Good Luck and Remember to check back here on August 31st to see who the lucky winnner is!!!

Hugs

Clare

x

Magical Mondays DT Card and some Sad News

Morning all! wow the start of another week, unfortunately this one is a little sadder for me. On Friday our wonderful Old English Sheepdog Dylan had to be put to sleep at the grand old age of 15. He was one of a kind, he soaked up years of teenage tears, watched me finish school, start work and eventually watched me leave home for good when I met Peter. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't even have my shop name! the name Cloudnine came about when we enjoyed great success at Crufts with him, when asked how we felt we replied "like we were on cloudnine" and from that moment on our kennel name was born later to be adopted for my shop name.

Anyway sorry to mope I did finally manage to finish my DT card for todays magical Mondays Challenge. The theme this fornight is really easy its 'Flowers'. We are being sponsored by the fab Nikki and Lacey and their stamp company Wags 'n Whiskers. They not only kindly supplied the design team with images from their new Fairy special release but are offering the winner 2 Wags 'n Whiskers stamps of their choice.

I chose to use the gorgeous 'Angelica' who was a dream to colour. As always I used ProMarkers and pleanty of Stardust Stickles. Everything was distressed with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and I added faux stitching to the edges. Once again I used the amazing DP's from the Ella Blue collection by GCD. These papers are stunning and I am fast working my way through them.

All the flowers were edged with Frayed Burlap and Stardust Stickles then I added some lace from my stash and some pearls by Prima. Finally the whole card got a coating of Irridescent Gold Glimmer Mist for that added fairy dust look.

Challenges I am entering:

Totally Gorjuss - #44 'Star'

Cupcake Craft Challenges - #105 'Blue and Green'

Fab n Funky - #36 'Flower Power'

Pocket Full of Posies - #5 'Winged Things'

My Time to Craft - #103 'Glitter and Glitz'

Close up of the gorgeous Angelica

ProMarker Colour Recipe:

Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink

Hair: Raw Sienna, Terracotta, Henna

Dress: Tea Green, Grey Green

Bodice: Cinnamon, Shale

Ribbons and Shoes: Cool Aqua

Wings and Stars: Ivory, Vanilla

Dylan in top form with my father

Farewell my wooly friend
xx

Thank You Kelly!

Hi,


Just a quick post this evening to thank Kelly for this fab award!

Now there are a few rules involved here goes:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. Display the award with pride on your blog.

3. List 3 things you love about yourself (not looking forward to this part)

4. Post a picture you love.

5. Finally tag 5 other people for this special award.

Ok, I thanked the lovely Kelly and the pic is on my blog. Now for the difficult bit:

3 things I love about me:

1. My work ethic - I am 100% dedicated to my business and love it!

2. I am proud of my creativity and the fact that I always strive to learn more techniques and improve my crafty skills.
3. I love the fact that I am so close to my family and friends - they mean the world to me.

Now for the easy bit - a picture that I love. Here is a picture of our gorgeous Cocker Spaniel called Dexter whom we rescued 18months ago. He is the most wonderful companion and even though he hates me crafting (clearly not paying him enough attention) I love him dearly.

Finally I am passing this award on to the following 5 people:

1. Rowena

2. Kim

3. Sue

4. Vicky

5. Lorraine

Wow that was realy difficult to narrow that down to 5 as I now know so many talented ladies. But all of the above have inspired me in their different ways and I wanted to thank them for sharing their amazing creativity.

Have a great evening everyone and I 'll be back soon.

Hugs

Clare

x

B is for Blue Challenge for ABC

Good Morning!

Well today is the start of a brand new challenge at ABC Challenge Blog the theme is 'B is for Blue'. For this challenge we are being sponsored by Secret Crafter who are offering a fabulous prize of a set of digi images from their second Manga release.

I chose to create a recipe folder which I decorated with the gorgeous Magnolia stamps from The 'Yummy For Your Tummy' collection. I used a Martha Stewart puch to edge the top flap and die cut swirls using a Marianne D die. Finished with flowers from my stash and some faux stitching.

Inside view

I am entering this project in the following challenges:

The Pixie Cottage - #32 'Anything But a Card and or Sketch

Allsorts Challenge - #65 'Paper Piercing or Paper Piecing

Simon Says - 'Make a Gift'

Recipe Cards

ProMarker Colour Recipe:

Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink

Hair: Sandstone, Cinnamon and Henna or Raw Sienna, Terracotta, Henna

Clothing: Blue Pearl, Cornflower

Shoes: Cinnamon, Shale

Spoons: Sandstone, Cinnamon

A Girls Best Friend!

Sorry I know I have been a bad blogger and have been awol for the last week but I have been incredibly busy getting even more products uploaded onto my website in preparation for the launch (seems to be a never ending task at the mo).
Anyway last Monday we celebrated my mums birthday, she is a huge inspiration to me and in all honesty my business would not exist without her help and support. Well before I get too mushy I wanted to share with you the card I made for her. I used the new Kanban stamps with the Old English Sheepdogs as I grew up with these wonderful teddy bears and my parents still have 2 of them, Dylan who is an amazing 15 and a half and Harry who is 7. We began showing them when I was 14 and I quickly became the groomer so the image of the little girl brushing her cuddly friend seemed soo appropriate.

Side view

I am enetering this card in the following challenges:

Sweet Stampin Challenge #39 'Use Your Favourite Stamp or Image'

The Pixie Cottage Challenge #31 'Sketch and Fancy Fold'

ProMarker Colour Recipe:

Skin: Blush, Dusky Pink

Hair: Buttercup, Tulip, Gold

Dress: Pink Carnation, Fuschia

Sock Stripes and Cardigan: Meadow Green, Apple Green

Sheepdog: Cool Grey 1 & 2, Ivory, Pale Pink

Soft Toy Dog: Sandstone, Cinnamon, Cocoa

Brush and Box: Cinnamon, Shale

Dogs Tongue and Bow: Pale Pink, Baby Pink