Winter's Coming

Dare to be different?

Well Judith certainly was when she picked the theme for the latest challenge over at Moving Along With The Times, she's gone with...

Winter is coming 

or

Any Game of Thrones themed card!

Now as I've never watched Game of Thrones, I really couldn't go down that route, but I can do winter and for us that usually means a great big dollop of snow!

So for today's card I've gone back to Ooh La La and a Winter image I won last month.  I've kept my card simple and just glittered up the centre oval, nothing too technical here, but I am pleased with the end result so think a few more of these will be made this year.

The above pic gives you a better idea of the colours, but the image is kinda lost under the glitter and flash. Below is a pic with the flash off - a bit dark but you can see the lovely image better!

The card is finished with bakers twine and more of those gorgeous LOTV tags that Debs introduced me too!

Challenges;
Crafty Bloggers Network - Christmas
Crafty Cardmakers - Die cutting or punching - die cut oval
Allsorts - Christmas
Little Claires - Christmas
Party Time Tues - Anything Goes
The Stamping Chef - Anything Goes
Crafting For All seasons - Tags - do little ones count?
Fab n Funky - Christmas
Paper Shelter Challenge - Christmas

Let's Party

Today I'm off in to Aberdeen to visit Alan in his flat.  The plan is to give it a quick tidy round in the morning while he's in class then to have a little fly-cup with him in the afternoon to celebrate his 20th Birthday!

"Happy Birthday Alan"

Won't see Colin this visit as he also has classes but he has informed me he will be escorting his washing home at the weekend!

Onto today's card, it's a birthday one for one of my Mam's friends. It uses a Bugaboo image and  Lilybee Design papers.  As with most of my Bugaboo cards, a lot of glossy accents have been added to this image!

Challenges;

Brown Sugar - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp - Use Kraft

Passion For Promarkers - Lets get krafty
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

Tidy Up Time!

Now this is clever - I'm having a tidy - but I'm tidying my craft room.  In particular my desk.  So what better way to tidy up the pre-coloured images than to stick them on a card!  How clever am I???

So I've had this image layered up for weeks now & the co-ordinating paper printed, all that was needed was a bit of taping & sticking and then...Ta-Da...

My card!

All the bits except the ribbon and the LOTV tags are off the Ooh La La CD - Say It With Words.  Slowly but surely I'm working my way through this disc and already I can see it was an excellent buy!  Will have to do some of the Christmas ones soon too.

Challenges;
Ooh La La - Inspired by Nature
Creative Card Crew - Bows
Fan-tastic Tues - Anything goes with flowers
Party Time Tues - Anything Goes
Crafty Ribbons - Tags & ribbons

Right, back to the HW and the rest of the house, lol!

White Christmas

I loved making my all white Christmas card last week for MAWTT, so this week I'm making another white card - this time with a splash of colour on the image but again predominately white.

So, the image is a gorgeous Delicious Doodle, and colouring by pencil for a change! Lots of lace, pearls, embossing and glitter finish the card.

Challenges;
Allsorts - Embossing
Sketch n Stash - 149 - Nothing new on this one all stash items!
Party Time Tuesday - Anything Goes
Ribbon Girls - White & ribbon...does lace count??
CHCC - Use a forgotten item - my filgiree die - hasn't been used on a Xmas card before

Winner at Oct Challenge - The Ribbon Girls 

Birthday Girl

The other week, I was delighted to read that Funky Kits and All Dressed Up had teamed up to bring us more gorgeous stamps.  I've been a big fan of Sugar Nellie for several years, & I also now have a few lovely Dressie images - although they haven't all seen my Promarkers - yet.

The image used today however jumped to the top of the pile as she is the current freebie and is the one required for the current challenge.  Not that that was a problem - she's lovely and has made a perfect girly birthday card - perfect for little nieces I'd say!

If you like her - grab her now from here - the challenge is almost over and I don't know how long she'll still be availabe without charge!

Challenges;
All Dressed Up - Birthday Girl
Sketchtanten - Another lovely sketch
Come & Get It - For a Child
Dragonfly Dreams - Mainly Pink
4 Krafty Girlz - Anything Goes

Finally - Merlot...he's doing fine post op, back outside and just getting on with things!

Christmas - White on White

It's been another busy week here, I don't know about you, but I just don't have long enough days at the moment! I'd love to do more cards, but between work, doing the garden and now studying for an exam in Dec, I just can't fit everything in!

I did however have time to make this white only card - a first for me and boy did it take me out of my comfort zone - no cute coloured image as a focal point.  Instead I had to rely upon layers and textures.

So that's the challenge over at Moving Along With The Times this week 

White on White

Give it a go though as you might be pleasantly surprised with the results - I was!

On the whole, this turned out better than I thought it would - still not sure about the top left corner though - should it be bare or should it be filled more and if so - with what???  Constructive criticism if you please!

Challenges;
ABC Christmas - Uncoloured Image
Oldie but a Goodie - Christmas - Old Merry Christmas die - had it last year too
Deep Ocean - Christmas in Oct
Crafty Bloggers - Christmas
Little Claires - Christmas
Wedodoobadoo - Christmas

Are We There Yet?

It's been a few days now since I posted a card - I haven't needed the distraction now that Merlot is back home!  He's doing really well, much brighter but obviously not allowed outside till his stitches are removed. He's also being really good and not going for his stitches when his buster collar is off, which means we are able to take it off most of the day when we can keep an eye on him.

So here he is - obviously it will take a bit of getting used to him only having one eye, but I love him just the same and am so pleased he's making a full recovery.

& now a card!

Made for a friend who recently passed his Trailer Test so he is now eligible to tow a caravan.  And what better image to mark the occasion than this little digi from Little Claire - perfect!

So, my card uses Basic Grey papers and LOTV tags, ribbon & my trusty glossy accents!  I kinda made a cloudy sky, but it hasn't photographed that well with the flash...I also think more practice may be needed at this!

Challenges;
SSW2 - Another delightful sketch to work with

Kraftyhands - Tagtastic - sentiment tags - hope that's enough?

Hey Pumpkin!

I guess you guys can see why I chose hedgehogs as my challenge theme over at MAWTT - as I said, there are just so many hedgies out there, I wanted to dig them all out!  This is my penultimate hedgehog, for the time being...but I still have more that I could use!

Today it's a Halloween card, again with a PB and this time the glossy accents were out as was a fab seasonal ribbon.

Challenges;
Come & Get It - Halloween
One Stitch At A Time - Orange
The Corrosive Challenge - Halloween Colours
Sketch Saturday - Sketch 330
PBSC- Halloween
Papertake - Anything Goes

Merlot
Today is a big day for my little cat, as this posts, I'll be heading back from the vet without him as he goes into surgery to have his eye removed and hopefully his jaw set today.  It's 3 weeks since his injury and he's a mush happier catty again, just hope I'm doing the right thing putting him through all this.  6 weeks to recover is a long spell inside. Jx

3pm Update
Merlot is now through surgery and is recovering well.  They removed his left eye and a left upper tooth.  His mouth now shuts and the vet thinks he will now be a lot more comfortable as both the eye and the jaw would have given him pain.  He comes home tomorrow to be nursed better...can't wait!

The Pitter Patter of Tiny Feet

... or more appropriately the pitter patter of the rain on the Velux window this morning - it's pouring!

Anyway, I'm working later, and I got loads of my gardening jobs done last week so if it decides to rain all day, so be it!

Onto my card, obviously with a hedgie and this time with embossed little feet cause it's a baby card using another fab PB stamp. The flower is made using a new Memory Box die set and the ribbon I bought in Berlin in the summer.

Challenges;
SSW2 - Great sketch - 29

Dragonfly Dreams - Mainly Pink
Fussy & Fancy - Lots of Pink
Just Add Ink - Just Add Baby
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

Christmas Hedgehog

Morning all...it's a tad windy here! How is it with you?

Sorry there wasn't a hedgehog yesterday - was busy with other things, but I am hoping to share a few more makes with you this week before my hedgies hibernate for the year!

Today is another of Sam's images, coupled with old Dovecraft paper from Susan - I have such kind crafty friends - thanks girls!

Challenges;
Art Impressions - Holiday Sparkle
PB@Allsorts - Get Ahead for Christmas
Weekly Christmas Card Challenge - Layer it Up
CHCC - P- Patterned Papers
Holly Jolly Christmas - Anything Goes
Christmas Stampin All Year Long - Snowflakes - On papers
Sketchtanten - Sketch

Never Fear...A Hedgehog Is Near!

Near, but not ready to appear!

Expect more hedgehogs next week, but for now a little lady...

I love these Art Impression images, got a few now and this is the first time I've used this lovely lady.  Great sentiments with these stamps too - had to modify it slightly today, but it's much the same as the original.

Challenges;
Papertake - Using the given sketch
Sweet Stampin - Autumn - Colours...shades of brown
Passion for Promarkers - Make it Feminine
Crafty Catz - All Sentimental
Allsorts - Autumn - Colours of

Bored of Hedgehogs Yet?

When I started this little hedgehog run, I didn't quite realise how many I had!  Last weekend I coloured up a heap and this week you have been shown one daily!

Today it's back to Penny Black, this time in Shades of Autumn for this little male baseball fella.  Sam, I think this is one of yours?

Anyway I think he's another cutie to add to my ever growing collection!

Challenges;
OLLCB - Use a bow
Sweet Stampin - Just for Men
We Do DooBadoo - Something masculine
Sentimental Sunday - Use kraft
Sketch n Stash - Sketch 44 - Challenge 148 using old image and papers - so old I don't know who's!

Merlot
Last night he got his second opinion so the Aberdeen vet suggests dentistry to fix Merlot's jaw, (he says its fractured.) Then 6 weeks post op with a frame to set his jaw in the correct position with assisted feeding but hopefully not tube.

Sadly however he said Merlot was now completely blind in his left eye and sight will never return :(
The difficult decision is whether on not to remove said eye? Jx

Hedgehogs

Today it's my turn to host the challenge over at Moving Along With The Times and I've chosen the theme of

"Hedgehogs"

Hope you all approve? I just thought there were so many lovely hedgehogs out there that they deserved to be grouped together in a challenge all of there own.  It also gives you scope to go Birthday or Christmas, or what ever you fancy.  So this should make it easy to join in... you'd think so!

My dilemma then became which to use!  Given a narrow theme, the decision is clear cut, give me choice and I stick!  In the end I made more than one card, and that's why my blog has been full of hedgehogs this week - and there's still more to come!

Today however, I've played it safe and gone PB.  Not the most seasonal of stamps I know but I bought it this year intending to use it over the Summer - I've only just got to it now.

I then decided not to use DP's, just card, embossing, punches and dies, the end result being;

Challenges;
Crafting When We Can - No Design Papers
7 Kids College Fund - Anything goes with ribbon or lace
Crafters Cafe - Punches & die cuts - Ms Border punch & sun die
Crafting by Designs - Anything Goes
Crafting With Dragonflies - Anything Goes
Creative Moments - 3 Layers
Hobbybook Design Challenge - Include an Animal
Sisterhood of Crafters - Lots of Layers

The Sky's The Limit!

Another card today - I'm on a roll!

And today I used a fabulous stamp from Little Claire, which I spied last week and oops - bought!

It's just so cute, and perfect for my nieces who love their trampoline!

Maybe for them, I'd do the card in more girly colours, but for now I wanted to use that blue/brown combo again as I loved it the other day! Papers are LOTV.

Challenges;
Cards4Guyz - No balls allowed! (Little guyz!) Jx