Falling Leaves

Hello!

I was feeling very autumnal this weekend and decided to make another card to play along with the second challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Group:

I stamped these lovely leaf stamps from Clarity Stamps in Aged Mahogany, Rusty Hinge and Seedless Preserve Distress Inks, used a vellum tag and sentiment from SSS.  The 'you' die has been stacked up 3 or 4 times for a bit of bulk and coloured in Seedless Preserve.  The rest of the sentiment is embossed in gold.  A wood veneer heart and twine to finish.

It is a Tic Tac Toe challenge and I went with the middle row - twine, autumn and embossing.

 

I hope you come along to the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Group and play along with us....

 

I will also put a last entry in to Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes.  There are over 800 entries!!

 

I will be back later with a card for Merry Mondays - so many great challenges, so little time :)

 

Thanks, as always, for stopping by,

 

Sarah x

 

Hello!

Hello!

A quick post from me with a card for this week's Less Is More challenge which is 'mostly words'.

This seemed like the perfect opportunity to use the fab Altenew Quilled Elegance set:

That big hello is super size and fills the card!  It was really fun to colour in with inktense pencils :)

I also tried a simple design by gold embossing the sentiment:

I think it looks good like this too :) 

I hope you like them.  Thanks for stopping by!

Sarah x

And a Few More....

Hello!

I am back with a few more cards that I have managed to get made this weekend after a full on week at work and home.  Next week looks pretty busy too so I am glad that we have had a few days without too much to do....

First up is my card for CASology where the cue card is Flutter.  I immediately thought of leaves fluttering from the tree for autumn and was really pleased to find that the PTI Mighty Oak set has a sentiment with 'flutter' in it!

I love the woodgrain on the tree and the graphic patterns on the leaves - such a fun set!

I also wanted to play along with Merry Mondays to keep building my Christmas card supplies - I can't believe it is October next week :(  There is a fun bingo challenge this week and I went with red/die cut/sparkle:

I used a Hero Arts sentiment, SSS stars stencil and bell dies from Lil Inkers.  The central panel is cut with a Lawn Fawn stitched rectangle die which I am using on everything at the moment!  I will also link up at A2Z Scrapbooking's September challenge to make Fall or Christmas cards.  These HA sentiments are large enough to be the focal point of a card and I love the polka dot Jolly!

Oh, and course, I will link up with SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes :)

I have a few more cards to photograph so I should be able to get a few more challenge entries in this week :)

Thanks, as ever, for stopping by and for your kind comments....

See you soon,

Sarah x

Finally!

Hello!

Finally I got the chance to spend some time in my craft room and made a few cards to play along with some of my favourite challenges.

The code word at Addicted to CAS is Cuddly which made me think of the Storybook set from Avery Elle:

I love the sweet rabbit from this set - the images are whimsical without being too cute.  I cut out the panel with the Lawn Fawn stitched rectangle and added a bit of Antique Linen around the edge.  Some soft blue gingham paper and blue button complete the card. 

As it is quite a CAS design I will also link up at Addicted to Stamps and More and at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

I also made a card for the second SSS Flickr challenge hosted by the fab Barb Engler.  This challenge is a Tic Tac Toe one.  I don't know why but I always find these quite tricky - maybe there are just too many possible directions!

Here is what I ended up with:

I went with flowers, polka dots and glitter using Simon Says Flowers of Whimsy and Lawn Fawn Let's Polka paper pad.  I used some Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents on the centres of the flowers so there is some glitter!  The sentiment is from WPlus9.  I like a yellow and grey colour combo.

I hope you like it.  I am going to call it a night but will be back with more cards tomorrow :)

I hope you are having a crafty weekend!

Sarah x

Time Out Challenge #15

Hello!

I have been a bit quieter than usual on the blog this week - things are just mad frantic with school, work and....life in general!

Today though I am excited that we are starting the next challenge at Time Out :)  The challenge is to use stamping with an optional twist of Apples on your project!  To add to the excitement this challenge is being sponsored by Avocado Arts (love their stamps).  One of their stamp sets is up for grabs for someone who uses the twist on their project.

I only have one stamp set with an apple in it but decided to use the twist :)

I immediately thought of an apple for teacher and used a letters stamp by Hero Arts for the background combined with a sentiment from Paper Smooches and an apple stamp from Clearly Besotted.  I think that the black and white background looks like a chalkboard.

We have the fabulous Loll playing along as a Guest Designer this week - she is one of my favourite stampers and is on several design teams. Do go and check out her inspiring blog!

I am sure you will want to go and check out the rest of the inspiration from the Design Team over at Time Out too.  I do hope you take Time Out to play along with us :)

I will also link up at the current Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Merry Christmas

Hello!

From Halloween yesterday to a Christmas card today....

I wanted to play along at Merry Mondays again this week where the challenge is to make the sentiment the focal point.  I got an Honourable Mention for my card last week which was a great surprise :)

I gold embossed one of the new Tim Holtz Christmas sentiments in gold and die cut with a Lawn Fawn stitched rectangle.  I inked the edges with Antique Linen and framed the sentiment with the fab pine cone stamps and dies from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

I will also join in at Addicted to Stamps and More which has a holiday theme for its current challenge.

Finally, I shall link up at the Waltzingmouse Fanatics Challenge which has a Christmas theme.

It is great to be ahead with my Christmas cards for a change - if I can make a few a week from here on I should be just about ok this year :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and your kind comments.

Bye for now,

Sarah x

Going Batty!

Hello!

Another weekend has rolled around and I haven't had as much time to play in my craftroom as I was hoping - events conspired against me!  Finally I got time to sneak away last night and for some reason I decided to make a few Halloween cards....I don't really know why as we don't particularly send them.  However, I do like Halloween images and the oranges, purples and blacks that often go with them.

I only have two Halloween sets and decided to see what I could make with the old Hero Arts set You Scare Me:

 

I die cut a tag with my HA die and inked with Spiced Marmalade - a perfect Halloween colour.   I stamped the bats from the set in first and second generation black ink.  I inked my Memory Box cobweb stencil selectively in the background to frame the tag.  The card says Boo! inside :)  I will join this card up at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge to make a tag.  I often use tags as a focal point on cards as they are quick and easy to do....

 

I will also link up at A2Z Scrapbooking's September challenge to make a Fall or Christmas inspired card/project. 

As you can see, I liked stamping the bats and did it again on this card....they make a great spooky background!  The Boo stamp is fab - I love the eyes :)  The sentiment is stamped on a tag die cut from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

That is enough battiness from me for one day!  Hopefully I shall have more cards to share tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Sarah x

Patterned Paper

Hello!

I have one last card for the fab challenge over at Virginia's View to use patterned paper - it closes tonight :( 

Like many others, I have lots of patterned paper but find it difficult to use on my cards - I really admire cardmakers who can combine patterns and elements to create layers and collage style designs. 

That is what I had in mind when I put together this card:

 

I die cut my Memory Box bird from polkadot paper by Pink Petticoat and added a wood veneer heart as a wing (with a touch of gold ink on it).  I stamped my trusty HA Starburst Lace and gold embossed it on a text paper which I also splattered with some gold ink and shaded around the edge with Pumice Stone Distress Ink.  The sentiment is from WPlus9.  I layered all of this on some black and gold cardstock offset at an angle for added interest.

 

I do love a black and gold colour combo!  Still not sure though, this is a style of cardmaking that may require more practice....

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Do let me know what you think!

 

Sarah x

Time Out Reminder

Hello!

I hope your week is going well :)  Just a quick post from me with a card to remind you that we are halfway through the current photo inspiration challenge at Time Out:

I am still feeling inspired by the lovely natural textures and colours in the photo and have used a woodgrain embossing folder on the die cut circle and used the Hero Arts woodgrain background on kraft as the bottom layer of the die cut butterfly from Papertrey Ink.  The sentiment is from PTI too.

Here is the inspiration photo:

 

Head over to the Time Out blog to see more inspiration from the Design Team.

If you haven't already, I hope you take Time Out to play along with us :)

See you again soon,

Sarah x

Make the Day Special

Hello!

I am just popping in with a quick card that I made for Make the Day Special's current challenge which is a sketch.  I have to admit that sketches are not really 'my thing' - colour combos, inspiration photos or word prompts can all get my mind working but I don't seem to have a knack for sketches.  I am sure it is just something that I need to practise more.....

Anyway, here is my take on the sketch using my new Avery Elle Boo stamps and dies - I love the stitched details around the ghosts and they come with different faces too :)  You can get them at Make the Day Special along with lots of other fab goodies!

I obviously went with a traditional Halloween colour scheme and used my Memory Box web stencil to create the background.  A bit of black glitter card and few orange enamel dots to finish.  I just swapped the sketch round - it is a really simple one but fun to use.  Maybe I am getting over my sketch 'phobia' after all :)

 

The challenge is open until Monday 22 Sept so you still have time to play along :)

As I used a stencil to create the cobweb background I will just get this in under the wire for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge to make your own background.  Phew!

Anyway, I hope you like it!

Thanks for your visit and kind comments,

Sarah x

Happy Birthday!

Hello!

When I realised that it was the sweet Bev from Happy Dance's birthday, I wanted to join in with the celebrations.  Darnell is hosting a fab party for Bev and Ardyth is hosting a link up where we can share our birthday celebration cards with the birthday girl!  I don't know Bev as well as many others but she has left some really encouraging comments on my blog since I started earlier this year.  She is a fun-loving and generous spirit and valued member of the crafting community! 

 

This is a simple and pretty card featuring Hero Art's Starburst Lace white embossed on kraft combined with my new PTI butterfly and sentiment.  The top layer of vellum on the butterfly adds to the softness.  I am increasingly feeling the need to make Christmas cards at the moment so it is nice to get a butterfly card made before the autumn nights draw in!

 

I will also join this card up at Inkspirational where the word prompt is Flight.

 

I hope you have a beautiful day, Bev and enjoy all of our good wishes across blogland :)

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sarah x

Waltzingmouse Stamps Pajama Party Card #3

Hello again!

Please click here for my post for the new challenge at A Blog Named Hero....

This is my last card for the Pajama Party!  I have had a great time and there are some beautiful cards in the gallery - I will definitely play along next time :)

This is a second card for Challenge #3 Old Pajamas using my favourite Waltzingmouse ornaments:

I embossed one ornament in gold and the second has clear holographic glitter over black.  I think that black and gold gives an elegant look for Christmas designs - along with a bit of bling!  I paper pierced lines up from each ornament to create the effect of them hanging and the white panel is popped up over a strip of black glitter card.  I hope you like this CAS design :)

This is my 4th post today!!  Normal service will be resumed over the rest of the week....

Bye for now,

Sarah x

A New Challenge at A Blog Named Hero

Hello!

It is time for our next challenge over at ABNH which is to use patterned papers in your design:




This month we are collaborating with the awesome Winnie & Walter :)

I went for a really fun design featuring my favourite crazy sheep from Hero Art's Missing You set.

I paper pieced the sheep (papers from Lawn Fawn's Let's Polka pad) and stamped the big W&W sentiment in a die cut speech bubble.  I hope you like the bright colours and zany sheep :)

I will also enter this in to the current challenge over at Virginia's View to use patterned paper.

Head over to ABNH to see what the rest of the design team have come up with!

I look forward to seeing what you create - remember there is a prize from our fab sponsors:

Thanks for stopping by!

InLinkz.com

Waltzingmouse Pyjama Party Card #2

Hello!

I made some cards to play along with the Pyjama Party at Waltzingmouse Stamps over the weekend but couldn't get them photographed whilst there was still daylight!  However the challenges run until 11.45pm tonight so I still have time to link up :) 

This is the card that I made for Challenge 4 - the Bedtime Story Sketch.

I used stamps from the fabulous Ocean Bound set which I have only just got.  I have a thing for all things nautical at the moment and this stamp set is just perfect!

I normally really struggle with sketches but this came together quite easily :)

As it is a brand new stamp set I will also link up with the lovely Darnell's second NBUS Challenge to celebrate reaching 600 followers!!

I will also link up with the fab Waltzingmouse Fanatics Challenge which is celebrating its first anniversary with a theme of birthdays/anniversaries.  I will definitely be playing more during its second year!

Thanks for stopping by:)

Sarah x

Double the Joy!

Hello!

I am popping in with a quick post about a special extra challenge over at Time Out in celebration of Beverley from Uniko Studio becoming the proud mum of twins!  

Bev is a member of the Time Out Challenge Design Team and will also be known to many of you as the owner of the fabulous Uniko Studio.  She designs gorgeous stamps and you can see her stunning CAS designs on her blog.  However, I am sure that she currently has her hands full with her two little boys and I hope that she is enjoying her new family :)

The theme of the challenge is Two of Something (it doesn't have to be a baby card) and there is a fab prize of a £20 voucher to Uniko Studio up for grabs.  You will be able to find this challenge running alongside Challenge #14 in the side bar at Time Out.  Head over and see what other members of the design team have made.

I had to use one of Uniko's new stamp sets - Sweet Baby to make this card.  I love these sweet onesies :)  I used my current favourite stencil from Simon Says Stamp in the background and a few glazed stars from Studio Calico to finish.

I really hope that you play along and celebrate the arrival of the twins :)

I will also link up with Simon Says Stamp's current Wednesday Challenge to make your own background.

Thanks for stopping by.  I will be back later today with another post for the new challenge over at A Blog Named Hero!

Sarah x

Pyjama Party at Waltzingmouse Stamps

Hello!

It is time for a pyjama party at Waltzingmouse Stamps:

There are a fun range of challenges open for 24 hours.  I have never played along before but as I am trying to build up my stock of Christmas cards and I LOVE my Waltzingmouse Christmas stamps it seemed like a good time :)

Here is my card for Challenge #3 - Old Pyjamas to use an old Christmas set.

 

I stamped an ornament from the 2011 Holiday Ornaments set and gold embossed the sentiment from Vintage Ornaments.  Gold ink on a wooden snowflake embellishment and a bit of kraft card to finish.  I stamped a Nordic style stamp from Inky Doodles in pale grey in the background.


I do have some other cards to link up but have run out of light to get a decent photo tonight so will post them tomorrow.  I am looking forward to seeing what everyone else links up!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sarah x

NBUS Inspired!

Hello!

I am sure you are ready for the weekend.....I am :)  Hopefully I can fit lots of crafting in around football, swimming, homework, cleaning - maybe I can miss the cleaning bit out!

The fabulous Darnell has her second NBUS Challenge and I have SO MUCH schtuff that needs using it seems only polite to play along...and to play along with a few other challenges too!

 

I inked up a few of the stamps from Sheena Douglass's A Little Bit Oriental for the first time for this card to go along with the oriental theme at Addicted to CAS.  I repeat stamped the line of characters (no idea what they say!) and stamped the charm in red, added gold and triple heat embossed.  A very simple design but definitely oriental!  This is my second entry.

 

I also wanted to play along with the fab new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Group being hosted by Barb Engler.  The current challenge has a colour theme:

 

 

I had fun playing with SSS products including my SSS stars stencil for the first time:

 

 

 

I used SSS balloon dies, diagonal stripe stencil and star stencil along with the sentiments which I used as strings on the balloons (I love doing that!).  I have softened the colours from the challenge but have used the red/orange, green, yellow and grey.  The challenge closes on 18 September so there is still time to join in.

 

I will also link up with Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge to make your own background.

 

Thanks for helping me to get started on my mountain of unused products, Darnell.  I still have loads to go at so hope to make something else this weekend :)

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and for leaving a comment!

 

Sarah x

We Three Kings

Hello!

I am starting to get in to the swing of making festive cards - today I have a card for the current CASology challenge where the cue card is Three:

I masked a square from the cardstock panel and created an inked landscape with torn paper and distress inks.  The stamps are from Clarity Stamp and the sentiment is from Clearly Besotted - it has three words in it to continue the CASology theme!  I like how this turned out - do you?


I will also link up at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge which is to create your own backgrounds.

I will put this in as a cheeky entry at Addicted to CAS where the code word is oriental.  Given the Christmas carol says 'we 3 kings of orient are' I guess that they fit in with the oriental theme :)

Finally I will link up at the Merry Monday challenge as the theme this week is transportation - thanks for the tip, Ardyth!  I have never played in this challenge before but it looks really fun and may just keep me on track with my Christmas card making :)

Thanks for stopping by - I really appreciate it....

Sarah x

Time Out #14

Hello! 

I hope the week is treating you well - we are having a sunny September so I am smiling :)

It is time for our next fab Time Out Challenge and this is my first post as a member of the Design Team.  Happy Days!  This time it is a gorgeous photo inspiration - let me show you:

I absolutely adore this photo - the natural textures, browns and creams and of course the inspiring sentiments on the wooden tags.  This is what I made:

 

I used a stitched tag die cut from Waltzingmouse Stamps and also used it to cut the small hessian tag.  The sentiment is from Pink Petticoat and was printed on to some cream cardstock.  I also clear embossed Hero Arts woodgrain background on to the dark brown card to continue the wood/textured theme.  A wood veneer heart to finish.

 

I enjoyed playing with the challenge so much that I made a second card too:

 

 

I used pretty much all of the same elements that were lying on my table from the first card and added an embossing folder to provide the script element.

Head over to Time Out to see the great cards posted by the talented Design Team.  This week we are joined by a fabulous guest designer - Christine of Poppaeacards.  I love Christine's work - her cards are gorgeous and I always come away from her blog inspired.  If you haven't visited her before do drop by and say hello.

The challenge is open for 2 weeks so you have lots of time to get creative.  I can't wait to see what you make :)

See you again soon,

Sarah x

Chocolate and Mint

Hello!

No, chocolate and mint isn't the flavour of my favourite icecream (which is pistachio in case you were wondering)!  It is the colour combo for this week's Less Is More Challenge.  It isn't a colour combo that I have used much but it is lovely and creates such an elegant look - I must use it more!  I may even get another card made before Friday if I am lucky :)

Here is the card that I have come up with:

 

I have made a start on my Christmas cards - which feels very early but I do have a lot to do this year.  This card was made using the gorgeous snowflakes from Uniko Studio stamped in a masked square with Uniko die cut snowflakes over the top.  I have stacked the mint die cut up a few times to give it a bit of added dimension. 

 

I will also link up at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge to Stamp It - there is nothing I like better :)

 

I really like how this card turned out although the photo doesn't do it justice.  I am struggling to get photos taken at a time when there is decent light at the moment.

 

Anyway, I hope you can see it ok!

 

Thanks for stopping by - I really appreciate it :)

 

Sarah x

A Blog Named Hero

Hello!

Have you had a good weekend?  I hope so!

I am over at ABNH today with some cards made using Hero Arts and Winnie and Walter stamps - yes, we are collaborating with W&W this month :)

I decided to try incorporating sentiment stamps in to the main design of the card rather than simply a finishing touch.  You will have to pop over to ABNH to see what I came up with.....

Here is a card that I made using the fab sentiment from W&W's The Big, The Bold and You set in the background:

The flower and the sentiment are from Hero Art's Hello Flowers set.  I have white embossed the flower twice on to Dear Lizzy patterned paper and cut out.  The pink 'splatters' are stamped from W&W's Big Bang Confetti set.  I was also playing with some new Avery Elle inks - Mint to Be and Orchid.

I will link up with the current challenge at Virginia's View where the challenge is to use patterned paper.  I have lots of it but rarely use it so this is a great challenge to get me started :)

Please head over to A Blog Named Hero to see what else I have been up to and take the opportunity to play along in our current challenge - Spell It Out For Me:

There's a voucher up for grabs to our favourite store!

I look forward to seeing you over there :)

Bye for now,