Lily's Art Creations

My Ultimate Creation

2011-07-05T17:10:00.004+01:00

Here is the reason I haven't be around much recently. Our baby Anthony has finally arrived to this world safe and sound in answer to our prayers. He is an absolute dream, albeit a slightly noisy one!

As some of you know, we've been unlucky with a few miscarriages in years gone by. This is why Crafting holds such a special place in my heart. It has helped me pass through this difficult time in my life. When I found out we were pregnant again I was both delighted and terrified. With several medical complications I was pretty much bed bound for the first few months and had to put my life to one side. Friends and relatives advised I pray to Saint Anthony ... and so we prayed and prayed every day.

Miraculously everything worked like clockwork this time round and we've been blessed with our little living angel. We wanted to name him Anthony in thanks to the good Saint. I am sharing this journey of my heart with you to let you know as long as you have faith and perseverance miracles can happen.

Here's the prayer we've been praying daily:

Unfailing Prayer to Saint Anthony

Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.

O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God
and Charity for His creatures made you worthy, when on
earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on
your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in
trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore
of you to obtain for me (request). The answer to my prayer
may require a miracle. Even so, you are the saint of
Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full
of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the
Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms, and
the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours.

Amen.

Once we find our feet again, there's going to be a whole lot of scrapbooking to be done to cherish every special moment this little guy brings.

Couldn't Resist

2011-04-21T22:00:00.003+01:00

Got this video in my email today, just reminded me tomorrow is also Earth Day, loved it so much and had to share with all pug lovers out there, I wish my little pugly can do all this tricks LoL!

Have a great Easter weekend!

A Revamp

2011-04-19T18:01:00.006+01:00

I have to admit I am so delighted with the outcome of this card, although not too much creativity was involved! I had this paper pad from K&Co for ages, I mean literally ages. Initially I felt it was "too good to use". Now, after so many years, it's a bit out of date to use! Lol. However, using up old paper from my ever growing stash is as big and ongoing task as organizing space in my craft world :-)

I looked at the paper really really hard as it's the right time of the year to use the theme and decided it was time for action. It's either now or never (at least for another year! :-) So out came the chopper... I cut them up, rejigged some of the stems height's, overlayed them and added a touch of glitter. And there you go, not bad eh?

I added a green velum envelope from Craftwork Cards which dates as far back as the paper pad. Together I think they are very spring like yet soft and gentle. I know some of you like me still have this paper somewhere, I hope my card could give you a little idea of what to do with them. They are like shoes and clothes, make the most of them by using them.

Have a lovely Easter everyone!

Pretty as a Picture!

2011-04-05T20:34:00.006+01:00

Hi ladies, finally I have something to show you. I can't remember when was the last time I coloured an image? Perhaps it was last year, oh dear! It's very time consuming but I have to say I still enjoy the whole experience and really love the results.

The image is from Gorjuss girl collection. I coloured her with distress inks and used water colour pencils to add extra textures. Nestibility circle die to cut the aperture on pearlescent card stock, stamped frame is from BoBunny.

People often ask me how to colour like this? In my opinion the most important thing to get right is the contrast. Don't be afraid to use bold dark shading to get a more dimensional look. Hope this helps. :-)

Clean and Simple

2011-03-07T10:31:00.001Z

I have made another CAS style card to share with you all. Since I wasn't well for ages, I got a lot of cares, prayers and gifts from friends, so now "thank you" cards are at the top of my list. I believe when they see I'm making cards once again they also know I'm much better :-)

I used PM vellum sheet on a 6x4 Kraft card, Anna Griffin sentiment stamp on two nestabilies die cut tags, a swirl Dusty Attic chipboard (kit #4) was cut and reconstructed to fit the card. I used a script stamp on a white Prima flower then backed with some distressed lace, a velvet ribbon with a pearl bean to finish the center.

A fellow blogger was asking me to put slightly bigger images on my main blog... so... (with a little help from DH :-) I finally got it sorted. Have to admit, it's been bugging me for ages too. LOL.

Thinking of You

2011-02-25T16:59:00.004Z

Today's creation is a simple "thinking of you" card I'd like to share with you. Recently, I've been really struggling to find something interesting to craft, often sitting in my craft room for ages without anything to show for it. Today, as it's Friday, my mojo is in better shape, but still, it took me a good hour and half to finish this!!

Yes, I finally got time to play with my beloved Dusty Attic laser cut chipboard. I have a few kits remaining for sale, you can get them from here and here. I used crackle paint on one of the chipboard birds, looks awesome, I have to say I am so in love with them, I am afraid you may see a lot of my projects using this stuff :-)

BTW, I got a lovely reward from my crafty pal Julie, Thanks again. Have a great weekend everyone!

Long Time No See

2011-02-07T20:06:00.006Z

Hi all, it's been a long time since my last post. I was pretty ill until recently. I wanted to say thank you to those of you who were asking for me and your kind emails during an unpleasant time. Now as I don't have to stay in bed as much, I thought it's time to get back in action.

A simple wedding tag card to start 2011's paper jounery, embossed with cuttlebug floder and Marianne butterfly, frame stamp is from PM.

I will make time to visit you all, can't wait to see all your lovely creations. Meanwhile, take care!

3 More Chipboard Kits for Sale

2010-10-27T21:57:00.006+01:00

I just hosted a mini private crop session in my house today. Well, the girls and I are so prone to chit chat no one actually finished even a single layout. They were really over to collect their packs from my recent chipboard hoard. Besides the lack of productivity, we had a really fantastic afternoon. Next time girls, bring your own cakes! DH came home to find the fridge void! LOL.

Anyhow, I sorted out the remaining ones and took Sarah's advice to put them in more affordable kits. Sorry I'm not selling them individually ... just too much work. I have to say again, they're really good value the like of which you won't find elsewhere. Click the images to enlarge and have a good look at the quality.

Kit No.5 €17.00 + €2.00 P&P

Kit No.3 €23.70 + €2.00 P&P

Kit No.4 €33.50 + €2.00 P&P

Kit 1 and 2 are available here

Budget Santa

2010-10-26T09:01:00.001+01:00

Morning all, it's my second week in Sassy Cheryl's to host, I picked the theme "Anything but Square". Here is what I came up with, a humorous recession card in a Christmas bauble shape.

This super quirky Santa is called "Working Class Santa", I coloured him with copics, left colours a bit blobby intentionally to give his coat a poorer look. But there's nothing poor about Mr. Santa, he should be glad he still has that cushy civil service job for life LOL!

I think this card belongs in my men's card collection. Cheryl's images are not only cute, but also fun, quirky and stylish too. They suit all age groups. This is why I love her stuff and I'm on her team. So why not join us this week and have some fun?!

PS Happy Birthday Cheryl! Have a great one!

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep

2010-10-21T15:13:00.000+01:00

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep, but, better with skin than without LOL! Since this little skull hasn't got any I did what I could to try to cheer him up!

The skull, the flourish and the gorgeous butterflies are available for free from The Graphics Fairy. I love her site. The possibilities are endless. I just printed them on cardstock and cut them out. The crown and corner flourish are from My Paper World. The sentiment used is from Personal Impressions.

So far, this is my favorite Halloween card. I'm really glad the print of the butterflies came out so vividly.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a nice day!

Two Amazing Kits for Sale

2010-10-19T17:14:00.029+01:00

Hi crafters, remember I said a few posts ago, I have a little surprise for you, well here they are. The eagerly awaited Dusty Attic Laser cut chipboard. I bought a whole lot of them, kept half for myself, and split the rest into a few different kits. Now you can grab them here!

I guess you must wonder if am I going to start a craft supply business, the answer is clearly NO! To be very honest, I just want to buy in bulk for myself at a wholesale price for stuff I am really craving for! Of course, this means I end up with way more than I could use myself so I have to put the remainder up for sale. I'm happy to share the savings with any of you who may be interested. My DH was joking if no one wants them we can always use them to keep us warm this winter, ah, the dear ... no chance!

Ok, now this is the important bit. I'll be letting these go for at least 40% cheaper than RRP. How does that sound? However, I only have a few kits to go around (check the quantity below), so act fast if you know how hot this chipboard will become!

Kit No.1 €41.50 + €2.00 P&P (1 set left)

Kit No.2 €29.00 + €2.00 P&P (1 set left)

I know the photos here don't do them justice, do check Dusty Attic's site for all the dimensions and extra images. They are largish and so, ideal for scrapbooking, album covers and home decor projects.

Furry Friends

2010-10-19T09:00:00.002+01:00

This week over at Sassy Cheryl's, it's my turn to host, I picked the theme "Furry Friend". Cheryl has so many cuddly bear images it's a challenge in itself to decide which one to use :-) This image is called Birthday Bears, I think it will make a great birthday card for brothers and sisters.

I coloured the image with copics, cardstock is DCVW, sentiment stamp is Personal Impressions, pattern paper is from 7 Gypsies, Prima flowers, die cut fern is from Marianne design, a little false stitching and a few bottons to finish.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you can join us this week and have fun!

Batty For You

2010-10-14T20:03:00.003+01:00

Hi all, here is a quick card I made yesterday. I can tell you, home time is such a luxury for me! A cup of Mocca, a tray of chocolates and wrapped in my house coat in my own very magical room - absolutely perfect!

The pumpkin and bats images on this card are all free to download from Graphics Fairy. Pattern paper is from Basic grey, sentiment stamp is from personal impression. Dotty ribbon is from American crafts and the seam binding ribbon is my very own hand died. If you want it, I have ONE final set left, you can get it from here if you like.

Oops! I can't believe it. I ate seven chocolates since I started this post, it's not even a long one, I'd better stop here :-) If I'm honest I've been doing more chocolate selection than typing! They're just so distracting!

Mr Wooly, Just for Men.

2010-10-12T09:06:00.004+01:00

First things first, this week's challenge over at Sassy Cheryl's is "add dimension" by our lovely Tracy, I decided to decopage this Christmas lamb and go with a monochrome (ish) palette, nice and simple, no bows and no flowers, a perfect man card. Provided you have an excellent image, leave it (or Cheryl :-) to do the talking!

I used different grey range copics to colour, cut it and layered them, sentiment stamp is from personal impressions. A final touch was the wooly coat, made with white flower soft. He looks cozy there!

So secondly, I am finally back from London at last. My 5 day business trip ended up turning into 10 days of chaos. But ... did I nail it at the end? Oh ... Yeah! ... look what I treated myself to at the weekend and you'll know how things turned out!

No more lucky suit and early morning makeup! I'm back to my snuggly buggly home life wrapped in a house coat - and how much do I miss that! You want to hear the guys reactions when they asked me what I do when I'm not working. Cardmaking I said ... and what a good laugh that got. They just couldn't believe it! They still think I'm joking. Each to thier own I guess :-) As long as I'm happy they can stick to thier golf. Wait till they get my "thank you" note :-)

Lastly, I did not forget ... I have a surprise prepared for you. It's taking a bit of time but will get there. Right now I just need to chill out for a bit and be lazy for a little while.

A Fun Bookmark

2010-10-05T09:00:00.002+01:00

A little scheduled DT autopost - probably trying to find my way home from London today!

You know, before I started blogging, I strictly only started Christmas projects in December. I didn't want to spoil the festive joy too early. However, Cheryl keeps tempting us with all sorts of GORGEOUS Christmas images, so I'm going to cave in early ... once again.

This weeks's challenge theme at Sassy Cheryl's is paper piecing, something new for me! I never did one before, but as usual, I know this could end up two ways, so I gave it a shot and I think I landed on my feet :-) Never try never know!

When I saw this cute image of the Joyful Santa I knew immediately I wanted to turn him into a bookmark. I overlayed his beard so he can hook on the page like a paper clip and this means his head can always pop out the top. On the back of his beard there's space for a small secret sentiment.

Image is coloured with copics, pattern paper is from Kaiser Craft, glitters and glaze add a bit more interest.

My Blog Candy Winner

2010-09-29T08:08:00.001+01:00

Ohhhhh ... it's time ... isn't it?

Thanks for all your entries to my Blog Candy. I had a great response from all over world and really enjoyed browsing all your lovely blogs (and using google translate more excessively than I have ever used it before!).

However - in a stunning twist of fate .... this candy ... has actually been stolen! Mu ha ha haaaa! Well ... only joking. But there can only be one winner of this here candy. I did the whole random.org thing and the following popped out.

Congratulations Sarita!!! E-mail me your address and I'll send it right away!

Now ... there's something else ... I'm away for a few days in London but when I'm back next week I'll be having a little SURPRISE here for you guys. So, watch this space!

DT Challenge Card

2010-09-28T09:00:00.000+01:00

I hope my card today can bring you a smile, how cheeky is this monkey?

This week over at Sassy Cheryl Challenge we were asked to make a card using "your favourite SC image. Well, this Monkey is definitely the one for me.

I colored this crazily cute fellow with copics and distress inks. Pattern paper is from Basic grey, Prima chipboard covered with Joanna Sheen paper, a bit of paper folding and glitters.

Thanks for stopping by, take care everyone!

In Love with My New Card (with updated doily measurements)

2010-09-23T23:01:00.012+01:00

I am so in love with my new card, (Am I allowed to say that?) First did you see the delicious bow? I used the seam binding ribbon I dyed myself to create this and all my ribbons are streak free after the dying process and I am proud of that. (blush!) I still have a couple of sets left, if you want them you can still get them here.

Second, about the image. I didn't colour this one, my new HP did. Yes, I got a new colour laser printer for myself after so many months of battling with the old one. The very first image I printed out is this free gorgeous vintage rose image from Graphics Fairy. I did a little digital alteration on the colour palette to suit. Tons of high resolution images to choose from, this place is heaven for any creative mind.

Thirdly, I am so glad my little crepe paper doily came out nicely. The whole "making your own flowers thing" was triggered by my lovely fellow blogger Julie, she makes the most amazing handmade flowers for her cards, on her site there's a lot of useful links and tutorials. The doily I made here is using MS doily punch on 28cm x 3cm creepy paper strip , a little stitch on the bottom of the crepe paper, pull and tide a knot, glue end to end, there you go, straight forward. The important bit, fold the paper 3-4 times then punch it otherwise it's too soft.

Have a great weekend everyone, mine won't be fun or crafty this time, got a project deadline to catch :-( Newspaper today says a tougher budget is coming, just when you thought the current one is tough enough. I think someone should send the Taoiseach to a card making camp for a little RnR (or even to recover from the hangover). LOL

My Hand Dyed Seam Binding Ribbons

2010-09-22T21:38:00.014+01:00

I mentioned on my previous post that I had been doing some Seam Binding Dying. Got my fingers stained yet again .... but I don't mind as it was really good fun. It's very addictive and I ended up with a little too much! So if you are interested in these silky crinkled ribbons, you can buy them below if you like :-)

9 delicious assorted colours as shown for €8.00 + €1.50 for European shipping. 1 meter each before being crinkled, so if you fancy a bit of ironing then you can make them smooth again.

Here's the magic PayPal button - (DH's acct ... for now. Lol)

Turning Sassy Vintage :-)

2010-09-21T09:00:00.002+01:00

In this weeks Sassy Cheryl challenge, we were asked to follow our lovely Cathy's sketch, I did a little play on the sketch, naughty! But even more naughty, I just realise I forget to give Mikkey any underpants! For any Minnie out there, look away... LOL

The image I used here is called boy and pull toy from Cheryl's. I think this image is very versatile, I can even imagine myslef using it on a Christmas card with an appropriate background!

For this card, I wanted it to somehow look vintage-ish, I coloured the image with copics, a little distressing around the die cut, a bit of glitter, some scripted paper from K&Co, embossed kraft paper... I'm pleased with the result. Going to try more vintage stuff soon.

Talk about vintage, I am so into the seam binding ribbon look. I am currently getting hands on with some ribbon dying. Oh, this stuff is so addictive! I will put some for sale here if I end up with too much :-)

Guest DT Cards for Secret Crafter!

2010-09-18T09:00:00.003+01:00

Happy Saturday everyone! I am so honored to be a guest designer with Secret Crafter! Here are two cards I created using the images from their newest launch! To see more of the great new stamps and other DT members' fabulous cards just click here.

I coloured this cute image with copics and distress inks, glittered his wings, the pattern paper is webster's page, I cut out a moon and two clouds and added a rub on sentiment. Oh, if only I'd had a "little demon" sentiment ... he could've been a bad boy LOL!

For the second card, I decided to stay with pastel colours. I have to admit it's a bit of a card lift from one of Vicky's project ;-) I coloured her with copics and distress inks and cut her out. The rose swing stamp is from WOJ, a bit of snip in the middle of the bench allowed it to fit. Pattern paper is from BG.

I did a lot of cutting from the center of the paper to create a view into this never never land scene ... at least, I hope so! I couldn't find any sentiment from my stash to suit this card so I have to leave blank for the moment.

That's all from me now, thanks for stopping by, I am off to visit the other DT member's blogs! Have a nice weekend!

Let It Snow - DT Challenge 29

2010-09-14T09:00:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone, this is my card for this week's challenge over at Sassy Cheryl's. Our lovely DT member Jodi has set this week's theme "use spellbinder dies". This is an easy challenge everyone can do so I hope you all come to join us!

I used Cheryl's Tiny Tabitha, she is totally my favourite at this moment! Notice apart from the 99% cuteness + sweetness there is still 1% "Cherylyness" shining through. Check out on those knees! Brilliant!

I coloured the image with distress inks, white gel pen was used for the falling snow. Warning! It's addictive, you don't want to add so much that the cute girl is lost in a snow storm. Cuttlebug embossing folder was used and then cut out with a spellbinder die. A wood embellishment and a punched out snowflake to finish.

Thanks for stopping bye. Have a lovely Tuesday!

My First Blog Candy

2010-09-09T16:18:00.016+01:00

Hi all my lovelies out there! I hope you will be as excited as I am on my very first blog candy! I just realised I have been blogging one year and one month and I wanted to do this candy to thank you my lovely blogger buddies out there, for all your support, inspiration and encouragement. So here is the candy, not all the latest stuff but they’re good enough to find its way to a new owner.

All products in my candy are all new, here's the list (from top left):

7 gypsies 6"x6" Conservatory double sided paper pack
Kaisercraft "til the season collection" clear stamp
Prima Lilliput roses iris
Webster's Pages fabric flower trim
A selection of Prima flower from my stash as seen on the photo
Papermania felt alphabet stickers
3 sheets of dimensional stickers
Personal impressions "Beary Christmas" clear stamp set
Personal impressions "Elfs Christmas" clear stamp set
Whiff of joy unmounted stamp "Willow with Lantern"
Whiff of joy unmounted stamp "Melinda with Muffin Basket"
Whiff of joy unmounted stamp "Melinda With Bouquet"
5 rolls of American crafts premium ribbons 1.2 meter each
Magnolia mounted stamp "Travel Tilda"
Magnolia mounted stamp "Party Edwin"
Personal impressions "Christmas Cheer" clear stamp set
Tattered angels Glimmer Mist "Iridescent Gold"
K&Company snowflakes brads
Prima embossed chipboard tags 2 design sheets

Quite a few goodies there, eh? Here's how to enter my blog candy:

This is a candy for my followers! If you haven't already become a follower click the "follow" button on my side bar and join in!

Post this blog candy on your sidebar with a link back to this blog candy. The link is below, or you can just grab the HTML from my sidebar and paste it straight into a HTML gadget on your blog. :-)

http://lilysartcreations.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-first-blog-candy.html

I post internationally. Just enter your Name and blog url in the link widget below. That's it!

This blog candy will end September 28th at 22:00 GMT. The winner will be picked by random.org and announced the next day!

Capture the Spirit of Christmas

2010-09-07T09:00:00.001+01:00

Is that snowman cute?! So cute that I want to pat him on his head! Of course he is a snowman, but ... he has wings, so he is definitely gonna be special! So special, in fact, that he is gonna be peach coloured! Why not, a candy peach sweet, I like it. So here ... ladies and gentlemen ... I present you with ... the one ... the only ... peach coloured snow angel, glittered and glazed for your delight! :-)

This super quirky Snowman image is from Sassy Cheryl's Fat, round snowman, this week's challenge is "snowman with ribbon, button and sparkles". I made a pocket card with vellum front, so I can put him inside along with some pearlescent sequins as "captured little winter spirits" for that someone special.

Pearlescent card cut with an as ever reliable nestiblity die, image is coloured with copics. Snowflake is from Marianne Dies.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hanging Decoration -- Sassy Cheryl's Challenge

2010-08-31T08:00:00.001+01:00

This is my first DT project at Sassy Cheryl's. In this week's challenge we were asked to make a "Fall or Halloween card". So please pop by and have a look at the talented DT's creations and join in the fun!

Here is my project, I used Cheryl's new "A Witch and A Frog" image and made it into a hanging decoration for the Halloween Season. This is a great image that has a lot of beautiful details on it. I think it would be a shame just to print it normal size, so I enlarged it to fits half an A4 card stock. One big advantage of digi stamps! I copied the frog and printed him an extra time for decoupage.

I coloured the image with copics and distress ink, cut out and punched some holes so I can attach some wire and hoops. Now, for the sign! I wanted a wooden looking sign that I can put a sentiment on to finish the decoration properly. However, I couldn't find anything in my stash... well, no panic, I decided to do a DIY job. I doodled one myself using my copic multiliner pen on card stock, some marker actions and inking on the edge, and then added BG letter stickers. So here you go... a pretty professional sign, I think. Finishing off, I put a big gingham bow on the top of the hanging wire.

I guess some of you might like my sign, so I made a digi version. Feel free to use it ...if you link back to me it'd be appreciated! Just right click and save to your computer then print it at any size that suits your project.

Have fun with it & Take care!

Back to Square One

2010-08-26T23:15:00.004+01:00

I tried to boycott square shaped cards for a while, but now I'm back here, yes, square is still sweet again, for a little while! ;-) (How fickle!)

This is one of my very old Tilda stamps, I only opened the package just before I made this card, how bold am I? And to I think, I still have three or four of them sitting there in my drawer. Awwhhh....

I coloured her with distressed ink only, I have to say I am in love with this media, although it takes longer than my copics, the end result has a more textured look to it!

The card is really very simple, pattern paper is combi of MME and BG, thanks to lovely Julie (I won her sweet candy recently). I cut the flowers from the pattern paper, not to hard to cut the tiny areas, but seeing them is a challenge! LOL! Sentiment stamp is from Personal Impressions.

Now, I have some exciting news I'd like to share with you! I will be on board with a bunch of very talented and fun ladies on Sassy Cheryl's DT! Yes, I am so happy this has come true as I am a big big fan of her work, do check out her blog and shop, you will know why I'm so enthusiastic! Seems September will be a super busy time for me now, I have two consulting jobs that just popped up out of nowhere (a good thing :-), a few business trips to London at the end of the month, and two non routine health checks (a bad thing :-(. Somewhere in between I have to make time to satisfy my itchy fingers craving for crafting. I just wish one day I can win the Lotto, so I can hire a maid (or two lol), and I can just chill and craft! (Oh, how guilty I would feel ... NOT!)

Have a nice week!

Treats Jacket

2010-08-19T20:35:00.005+01:00

Yes, I know what you are all thinking, it is too early. I agree, but if Christmas in July is OK, why not have Halloween in August? For a lady, if late is fashionable then being early must be a virtue.

This is a wonderful digi image from Sassy Cheryl's. I've never seen scary pumpkins as actually being scared, how funny! Cheryl's drawings are always very expressive and quirky, pure class!

This is a very simple to construct wrapper to put around a small bag of sweets or treats. Distress ink colouring, cut out and mounted on double sided paper, another piece of paper across the top, punch two holes, a bit of twine and then added a cut out sentiment. Pattern paper is all from Basic Grey, Sentiment stamp is from personal impressions.

To finish up, here's an animated short I saw the other day, look what the guys in Pixar do in their spare time ... two years of their spare time! Very nicely put together. Enjoy!

The Winner of the Blog Hop

2010-08-18T19:46:00.007+01:00

Here is the random draw result of Mami doodles blog hop, the comment winner of my blog is dj1952.
Congratulations! Please contact me with your email address, I will send the rose digi stamp to you.

Cats Rule, Dogs Drool!

2010-08-13T20:24:00.006+01:00

Hi, two posts in one day, that's a new record for me, but what's the rush... here is why. I made this little cutie this afternoon to enter a blog candy challenge over at Angie's blog, which will be closed on August 16th. The challenge is to make an easel card using red and brown. Angie is giving away two sets of delicious candy. A lot of you may know Angie already, but silly me only discovered her blog recently, (thinking of my learning curve ... it could have been a straight line! lol). If you don't know her yet, let me put in this way, her blog is a must visit and you are in for a treat! Her colouring skill is beyond this world. Check her blog for yourself. She has a few colouring tutorials that are so helpful, I watched a few times already. Do you ever try copics and distress ink together? It works like magic.

So here is my take: the image is from Hanglar, I coloured her with copics and distress ink, cut it out then mounted on Kraft paper which was pre cut using nestiblities die and embossed with a cuttlebug embossing folder. I added some cute stickers and paw buttons to finish off. I think it's a very cute card for cat lovers. (If you view the full size version ... it says "I Don't Fetch" :-)

Fancy a Chance to Win This Rose Stamp?

2010-08-13T11:45:00.006+01:00

Here is my DT card for this week's challenge "shaped card" over at Mami doodles. This week we decided to spice things up a bit. We are doing a blog hop as well! All you have to do is leave a comment on DT's blogs. Each of us will do an individual draw on our own blog to give away the digi stamp we used for this challenge. So if you like this rose stamp, just leave me a comment! The hop ends on Tuesday 17th August at 12 noon, my winner will be announced here on Wednesday.

Ok, now let's talk about this card I made "Sending You Hugs" (the "sending you" text is a little difficult to see). The main ingredients are: the rose image is a recent release from Mamidoodle's. I coloured it with copics. The card shape is using Nestabilities dies, paper is from BG Cappella, the chipboard letters are from Cosmo Cricket and some punched out leaves and a butterfly top it all off.

Have a nice weekend whatever you're planning! Next on the blog hop is Vera

One of a Kind

2010-08-11T14:36:00.012+01:00

No card to show yet, but I am still doing something crafty. Remember a few days ago, I was talking about hand carved stamps, well, check this out...

Not bad for a first attempt, eh?! Last night I spent nearly two hours carving this little guy, life would be easier if I had chosen to do the negative part, well, the time still flew by and it really was great fun.

A Freebi from Mamidoodle

2010-08-06T10:42:00.003+01:00

Just a quick post to let you know Mamidoodle is doing a GDT call and she is also giving away a newly released figure image as a freebi, that little cutie in only a finger click away!

Have a nice day everyone!
Lily xx

Yes, you CAN colour on Kraft paper

2010-08-03T19:48:00.010+01:00

Hi all, it has been a while since my last post. We have been really busy this bank holiday weekend, got the wood floor for the guest bedroom, played new Starcraft II with my DH, BBQ in a friends house, planting in the back garden, since the landscaping is done, all we need to do now is planting and keep planting ... or occasionally digging up because someone changes her mind :-) Also, I discovered the arm aching world of lino carving, I guess you may see my own hand carved stamps soon.

This afternoon I got some time to myself and made this notebook. I love the outcome so am sharing it with you all. This is a Gorjuss girl image stamped on Kraft paper that I got from Cardznscrapz, coloured with Polychromos pencils. I had a try with many different media on this paper. I found out copics and other markers don't work, but coloured pencils like Polychromos, prisma, acyclic pencils or even watercolour pencils will all do the trick nicely.

Pattern paper used here are all from K&Co, I tried some very extreme distressing by burning it (think safety folks!) and along with some cutout words, I feel like I'm writing a ransom note or something! LOL! The flowers are hand folded by me using pearlescent paper, same technique as folding a ribbon flower. Here is the most straight forward YouTube link I found - the language used is one I don't understand but everything is there to see ... stick with it! Every embellishments here is attached using a glue gun.

A photo of our puggly and an accidentally found amazing animation video of a pug, can you imagine how much work this was for the guy! But it's soooo cute!

lumpie v.98 from schnollie on Vimeo.

Let's Rock The Boat ...

2010-07-22T16:24:00.009+01:00

I am very pleased with how this one turned out, since I told myself to think outside the box (erm ... square) craft time has become a more fun time for me again, the creative juices are free to flow!

I drew a sail shape (two adjoining triangles) on a piece of card stock and cut it out. I chose two pattern papers from K&Co and My Mind's Eye and glued them onto the card stock. I tore the edge of the pattern paper according to the card stock shape.

Now, for the keel, I folded a small piece of card stock in half (so you can write a message inside it) and drew the outline and glued pattern paper on it. After cutting it out, I used a craft knife to cut a small slot in the middle for the vertical mast to slide in. For the mast, same again, I glued some pattern paper on card stock and chose a piece with a button shape, glued one end to the sail, slid the other end into the slit on the base. Therefore the sail can stand nicely vertical for you. Some distressing and some hand stitching on the edge, a stamped sentiment for the flag, a folded blue polka dot ribbon was used to simulate the waves and finally added a copic coloured Hanglar figure. Voila - fait accompli.

As promised, I wrote down the copic colour codes this time, hopefully it will be useful - if you prefer a photo in future, let me know?

Skin: E000, E00, E01, E02, R20
Hair: Y21, Y26
Outfit: YG91, YG93; B91, T1, T2; E43, E47
Accessories: C2, C4, Y91, W3, W5

This is my new favorite song at a moment; I am a classic music girl 90% of the time, but for the other 10% I am a rap / hip-hop / rock girl :-) If you are like me and recently have your girlfriends doing the Edward thing again - so much so that it does your head in, try a dose of EMINƎM, that'll fix it ... well, until the 4th one comes out. So go ahead and enjoy! Sorry, Ed ... it's time to get back in your coffin! I'll keep this tune on my side bar to keep the evil spirits at bay ;-)

Aperture Savings Tag for Mami Doodles DT Project

2010-07-15T22:54:00.003+01:00

On my previous card I did a nice little aperture ... and here we have the inside of that aperture as a lovely little tag! The cute image is a new release from Elisa over at Mami Doodles. I coloured here using Copics. As she is a sitting figure, I dropped her on a little stump from Whiff Of Joy. Paper, as in the last project, is Capella from Basic Grey. Embellished with a couple of little laser cut butterflies (ouch!). DH thought perhaps she might be trying to kick one of them ... little did he realise my intention was that the butterfly was landing on her toe! Sheesh. Men!

I had been meaning to jot down the copic colours used but forgot again. Will definitely have them for the next project (I put a big post-it on my copic box to remind me! Since Vicky asked so nicely so many times ... I'm starting to accumulate guilt! :-)

DH introduced me to a wonder today - the next epoch for the web (HTML5). If you're into some very nice gadgetry have a look at Chrome Experiments. To see it all work you'll need to download and install Chrome browser at the top middle of that page. Then ... using chrome check out Multi User Sketchpad. Great fun and highly interactive. Entanglement is also a great fun puzzle (after 6 goes my high score is 62 on a single tile game, if you do better let me know!) Have fun!

My New Cappella

2010-07-09T18:33:00.007+01:00

The first time I saw this Cappella paper pad from Basic Grey, I had already fallen in love with it, especially this particular pattern. I thought it would go well with any of the Sarah Kay's stamps as both have a touch of romance within.

I made this 4x6 pocket card with DCWV card stock. Since deciding to boycott "square", it's made me a more creative me. I colored this sweet image with copics, a Martha Stewart punch is used here for the top border, the window is cut out with a Nestabilities label die and I added a lacy bow and flower for a finishing touch.

Have a lovely weekend folks, hope you all have something nice planned!

Zero Calorie Ice Cream!

2010-06-24T21:34:00.007+01:00

Just finished watching Japanese beating Denmark "unexpectedly" - a very enjoyable game indeed. Now it's time to do a little blogging!

Well ... what did I get up to today?! Washing, ironing, tidying up the back garden ... all still on my todo list LOL. I got up terribly late today, painted my nails, went to have Thursday lunch with the girls in town. Had to excercise great self control to stick with a salad only lunch and resist the sales thereafter! Came home and settled down to do a little DT project. I decided to stick with my day's low fat theme.

The adorable Lil'Sinead is a new release from Mami Doodles. I coloured her with copics in accordance with the challenge colour code. She's mounted on a frame stamped with a PM stamp. The paper cone is DCVW cardstock which I cross hatched using a scoring board to give a somewhat more realistic icecream cone texture. Then I cut with a scallop scissors to form the decorative top edge. Now for the good bits - how I made the balls! Pure heartache! I took two perfectly stored and cherished Basic Grey cupcake range sheets and scrumpled them up without mercy! Then I used them to cover some crunched up plain A4 sheets to add a little body and glued them together. Some ribbon and a button were used to hide some joints.

So - a truly zero calorie ice cream for you. Enjoy! For me, I even burnt a few calories while I was crunching it all up :-)

(Non square project counter: 2)
this counter is a little encouragement for me, he he. some day I guess I'll go back to square one ;-)

Say Goodbye to Square Cards

2010-06-19T21:31:00.005+01:00

I am a bit fed up with square cards lately. I deliberately tried to make other "long time no see" card shapes work with current trends. I tried, believe you me, it's not easy, like giving up some old habit, but I think it worked out pretty well here. I'm very happy with the result, so it's time say goodbye to square .... for this card at least!

This is two thirds of an A4 folded in half card, no idea what it'd be called in the stationary world. DL perhaps? It fits any ordinary envelope nicely. I used some very old K&Co paper, and some matching distress ink colours such as victorian velvet, weathered wood and bundled sage on my stamps. Overall quite a shabby chic card.

Stamps used are a mix of a few brands, the sentiment and the frame are from Do crafts, the bird is from Kaiser crafts, swirls from Technical Tuesday. I think the layout works, try it yourself, good for a change.

Lisa asked me what I got from my London trip, hehe... can't believe you really remembered ;-) yes, you guessed right, here is my new baby, at the end I went for this one: burgundy colored frames and lenses. You are right, the world looks like a happier place through them!

Hope you all have an indulgent weekend and thanks for visiting!

I Love This Ribbon, Do You?

2010-06-15T21:45:00.007+01:00

I made this one yesterday and was very happy with the outcome, especially the dotty organza ribbon. I think it gives a very crisp look.

Regarding the coloring, the little kitten image was water colored using distress ink. I have to say, it's a harder media to use compared to copic markers. This probably is my third project using the ink and I'm just getting the hang of it. Personally, I think it looks more expressive than what I can do with copics. If you're into watercolouring they're almost certainly a better investment I'd say - (Wish I had discovered them a bit earlier!) Also, they're expanding the palette this year so we're spoilt for choice. I will try the inks on different types of paper to explore a bit more. (Currently using bristol board if anyone wants to know! Open to other recommendations as ever! :)

The cute image is from Pepper & Friends, cut with a nestabilities circle die, no pattern paper was used here, I guess this is why it looks so clean. Card stock is DCWV.

Off to the London for the day tomorrow - work related. I wish it was something crafty I could share with everyone but it's one of those daily toil, pay the bills kind of things. I'll also have a few hours to kill and the company is near Bond Street. Hmm ... I suspect tomorrow may be a nett loss :)

Thanks for stopping by!

DT Project for Mami Doodles

2010-06-10T23:31:00.007+01:00

Here's Lil' Alex (with a bucket), a new digi stamp release from Mami Doodle's - just in time for all our summer cards!

I was quite rushed to make this card. I still think it's missing something and is a little plain. Perhaps some clouds might help. However, I did a bit of a twist by overflowing the card boundaries a bit and quite like the effect. I coloured the majority of the image with Polychromos pencils and did the flesh tones with Copics. My favorite part is the precious little crab button from Buttons Galore. Other materials include DCWV Cardstock, Basic Grey Cupcake pattern paper, the sun is a Quickutz diecut.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and fingers and toes crossed we all get a little sun from somewhere or other!

Back Home ... Again!

2010-06-02T13:46:00.003+01:00

This is my DH's favourite photo from our holidays back in Shanghai. It's taken from the river bank looking at the Shanghai Bund. I love my hometown, a city that never sleeps!

We had a great time there, fabulous food, gorgeous weather and plenty of dossing, we even squeezed in a short trip to Suzhou, a small city right beside Shanghai that is famous for its Su style garden. We also went to the EXPO, which is a hot event in Shanghai at the moment. We were pretty stunned by the sheer scale and all the outstanding architecture. The speed of this city's development often leaves me speechless despite being home twice a year.

Although I've already been back for two days, I still haven't quite beaten the jet lag, plus so much house work needs to be sorted. So please be patient with me, I guess next week I will be back to normal.

I really appreciated you guys leaving me so many nice comments while I was away, I will pay a visit to you all soon, I promise!

Take care all my lovelies!

My Last Auto Post

2010-05-29T13:49:00.006+01:00

Miss you all, that's right, at this stage, I believe I would be truely missing my craft room and my blog life and of course all the lovely blogers like you!

The main imge is from Magnolia Stamp Club set colored in copics. Although he is cute, I found it's a bit too simple in some ways. So, I added a little detail myself on his jumper with a special Manga Art Overlay. A bit like a transparent sticker. The painful bit was to cut around it to remove the excess with a craft knife. Not so good at that!

The leaves stamp is from Kaise crafts, after stamping it 3 times in different inks, I cut it along with a circle to made it look like he is sitting on branch with the moon in the background. The sentiment stamps are from PM, paper is Cosmo Cricket boyfriend. I also added a little laser cut butterfly from Rayher hobby.

I am on my way back now with dear hubby, can't wait to visit you all and catch up with all your lovely blogs. See you soon!!!

My Third Auto Post

2010-05-22T11:19:00.002+01:00

I should be in Shanghai nearly 3 weeks by now, my DH is going to fly over to join me for the last ten days. This all the time he can squeze out, but still... How exciting!

I coloured this Tilda image right before Easter, but didn't got a chance to make her into a card. As it's no longer easter, I can't really use too many spring colours, so this is what I came up with instead. I used polychromos pencils for coloring, Cuttle bug swiss dot for embossing, the velvet leaf and flower are from Prima, the strip of paper is Basic Grey porcelain range and the sentiment stamp is from PM.

Hope you are all keeping well and very productive in your own crafty places.

My Second Auto Post

2010-05-15T14:40:00.000+01:00

Hope you are all keeping well, enjoying a lot of sunshine and happy crafting!

This is another Sarah Kay image, I know quite a few crafters have this image, but never turn it into a card. This is my take on it. As usual, I coloured it with copic markers, I chose the most muted colours for an old style fairy tale book look, but somehow she looks so poorly, so much in need of love!!! Quite the Cinderella! Not really my intention! I guess colours do influence the mood! I used nestablilites die for cutting, a lace and a Prima flower with a tiny button to finish. The sentiment stamp is from personal impressions, as it's a clear stamp, I could simply bend it to match the shape.

Hope you all like it!

Lily xx

My First Auto Post

2010-05-08T14:55:00.007+01:00

Right now I should be in Shanghai enjoying May sunshine with my lovely parents! I mentioned on the previous post, I will not be able to access blogspot from China. Meanwhile I still want to keep my blog going therefore from now on until the end of this month I set up few auto posts for the projects I rushed myself to get done before I left!

Here is my Doodlbug designs' Plain & Simple Chipboard House. I had this kit for ages, last week when I was tidying my crafty stuff, I found this set and gave it a go. I covered it with Basic Grey lemonade paper, but I forgot to ink each paper with my beloved distress ink before I glued it on. The house ended up looking a bit crisper then I wanted. Well ... there's always photoshop.

So, there you go, my little "more distressed, somewhat enhanced" dreamy house! Hope you all have a lovely & unwinding weekend!

Back from Paris

2010-05-04T17:24:00.005+01:00

Back from a fabulous Paris trip, did all the unpacking and washing, now I am packing again for the trip back to Shanghai tomorrow. It's quite remarkable that blogger.com will be blocked in China as I discovered last time, so I can't visit all you lovely bloggers during my stay.I will try to do some auto posts If I have a bit of spare time left.

This long weekend escape itself was a lovely surprise for our wedding anniversary ... but my daring husband gave me two more highly indulgent surprises. I almost cried when I opened the hotel room door, as well as the Champagne and roses ... there it was, sitting there, just waiting for us ... the Eiffel tower! Yes, he remembered! Last time we were in Paris was almost nine years ago, he was just out of college and I was still doing my masters at the time. So, we could only afford to stay in a B&B near the opera house, the window looked out to a dirty narrow back ally, the room was so tiny and horrible (Paris hotels excel at this!) I hated it (the room) so much that I swore never to go on holiday until we could afford to go comfortably. Since that first time, Paris had always been a slight pity in my memory. Now you can imagine my emotions at the minute I opened that door.

Then, along came the next surprise ... when he asked me did I remember the boats with the lights on the Seine we had oogled from the bank last time and asked me could he have the pleasure of my company at dinner that evening on the Seine? He had booked us a window spot on "The Diamante" nightime dinner cruise down the Seine. There was lovely live music, I have to say it was so romantic - such an evening to remember! Here's a shot as we cruised passed the tower.

Spent a day at Versailles and rented a couple of (rickedy) bicycles. DH's bicycle stand just wouldn't work - accidentally made for a lovely artistic shot!

We also made a trip to Monet's Garden in Giverny this time. This place made me melt inside! Even though it rained a little it made for a lovely effect on the water. Not as valuable as one of his masterpieces but it's a priceless shot for me!

So... that's all for now. Fingers crossed the ash cloud lets me get on my way tomorrow. Talk to you when I get back.

Freebie Digi Bear

2010-04-28T12:37:00.000+01:00

Oh, I love this digi bear image, isn't he adorable! It's free from Cuddly Buddly, along with many cute freebies. So check them out!

I colored the bear with my copics and cut it out, mounted on a light grey DCWV card stock. The sentiment stamp is from personal impressions, I stamped four time along the edge, tied a pink polka dot ribbon as a final touch.

After nearly a week of "interrogating" my hubby, I still got nowhere. He certainly has some Jack Bauer attitude, at least for once! Will let you know how I get on when I am back!

Quelle Surprise!

2010-04-24T21:07:00.008+01:00

It's so hard to stay indoors when the sun is shinning beautifully, especially these days when I've only got a bit of spare time for myself, so to stay crafting or embrace the sun, that is the question?

Well, I did a bit of each. I had some consultancy work pop up which I can't say no to, plus it help pays the bill. That leaves me little time to do what I like for the next few months, so every minute I get in my little craft room is precious. That's also why I've had to resign from CCC DT. I just can't fit everything in any more. Anyhow, here's something I did manage to get done after we came back from a walk with our puggly in Phoneix Park today.

Thanks to my crafty friend Tania over in Amsterdam who posted this lovely image to me a month ago. I only got the chance to color her today, and am absolutely in love with it! I colored her using my ever trusty copics based on the colour palette from the Basic Grey Nook & Pantry paper pad, then mounted on DCWV card stock.

And now ... the surprise! While on our stroll ... my sweet hubby told me in a very casual way that he had booked a weekend away to Paris to celebrity our anniversary. I was speechless for a moment. How did my ever disorganised DH manage to keep this little secret? He had booked it the day before the big "ash" story. Eeek! Shocker! Imagine his worry! Anyhow, I am simply thrilled. Suddenly I had a million questions ... but he isn't giving me any detail ... AT ALL! Guess we'll just have to pack and see!

Let's Go Oriental

2010-04-16T14:23:00.000+01:00

I made this Pochi-Bukuro (Japanese money wallet) using a brand new digi stamp Midori from Mami Doodles. Isn't she adorable? Don't you just love her brush stroke fringe? Even the idea of being a paper dressing doll is so cute! I had tonnes of Japanese paper, this was a great opportunity for me to use them. The little embellishment is a mizuhiki knot. After I dressed her, I colored her face and hands with copics to complete the look!

It feels good just take a style change every now and then and make something different and new. Do check out the other DT member's creations using this set of stamps for inspiration!

The Buck Stops Here!

2010-04-14T13:00:00.005+01:00

This week over on Copic Colour Challenge, it's my turn to pick the colours BG93, E47, Y23! I used a Sarah Kay stamp and tried to achieve a more pastel look. The pattern paper is from My Mind's Eye - wild asparagus, a cuttlebug embossing folder (organic flourish) is used, twice if you can spot it! Flowers are from Prima. Do check out our other fab DT members cards and come to play along with us this week.

I also have some news to share with you: I will be on board with 5 other talented ladies as Mami Doodles DT for Elisa here in Ireland. Links are now on my side bar! There are some very fresh and original digi stamps to look forward to! So ... keep an eye out.

Trim Castle....

2010-04-11T20:04:00.003+01:00

What have I been up to today? I just had this year's very first bbq in my friends house today. We learnt a bit from the past 2 years ... once you see the sun here ... make the best of it! After a good feed, we took a walk down to Trim Castle. Such a lovely day, wish every day of spring was like today!

DH grabbed a few snaps - this is one of the nicer ones.

Matchbook DT Card for Copic Color Challenge

2010-04-07T14:32:00.007+01:00

Yes, I made a card after nearly two weeks break, wasn't too well for a while, but I'm over the worst of it, I think. Is there anything chocolate can't cure?!

This is my CCC #59 DT card, this week we were asked to use YR16,BG49,E18. I picked the stamp from the Magnolia Stamp Club Winter Set ... the disappointing one, I guess a lot of you know what I mean. A side effect of buying blindly I guess. I made an exam good luck card in a matchbook style. The pattern paper here is from Cosmo cricket boyfriend, other stamps used are personal impressions.

Got a new addition to my garden at the weekend: Meet Helleborus Orientalis "TuTu". Is she a beauty or what! Aha, even love the name and it's double centered too. Currently she's living proudly on my kitchen counter until I find the right spot in the garden for her.

That's it from me today, have a lovely Wednesday, everyone!

Cute and Puzzley!

2010-04-04T21:27:00.004+01:00

Hi Guys,

Been out of touch for a while and finally back - nothing to show yet as I haven't touched my craft goodies in over a week!

Anyhow, here's something to distract you for a while so I can get something together. For those of you who know me; you'll know I love puzzle games! This one is great for lunchtime! The images, the sound, the interface, the whole thing is stinky cute!

They've lots of other lovely things on that site too if you've many minutes to kill!

Happy Easter to everyone!

Using Up My Scraps

2010-03-24T13:05:00.002Z

This week over at Copic Colour Challenge, we were asked to use G99, BV08 & E59. The combination stikes me as quite a boyish set of colors. I picked this Cheryl's digi stamp (currently her designs are my favorite), it reminds me of a tomboy off to play football!

I have a lot of cutouts and scraps that have been sitting in a box, I randomly picked a few in matching colors and played with the layout. Overall, I'm quite happy with the outcome - the most happy thing is there are now less scraps in that box, at least for a while :-D

Supplies used:
Paper: Basic grey, K&Co.
Stamp: Squigglefly, personal impressions
Colour: Copic sketch

I found this fantastic blog the other day called Simply Breakfast. It's really worth keeping an eye on. Just looking at all their photos would make me hungry, and I feel a bit ashamed I don't treat my stomach with the same respect!

So ... I decided I should make a bit of an effory. Here is what I had for breakfast this morning: there may not be many carbs here, but it's a reasonably good start: berries, dried banana and rhubarb yogurt. Bon Appetit if you're not too rushed tomorrow morning!

Copic Colour Challenge 56 DT Card

2010-03-16T23:29:00.012Z

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

I was really up to my eyes today, friends were over for dinner and the household was well busy ... so I couldn't manage to post earlier. Good news though: little Johnny managed to hang on to his Leprechaun badge this year.

This week on Copic Colour Challenge the prize is being sponsored by InStyle Stamps and I choose to colour this lovely InStyle fairy image stamp which struck me as being something I might be able to make a bit "Alice in Wonderland" like. The colours to use this week were BV02, G02 and B32. However, this was NOT a smooth "make" at all. It all started with my printer getting choosy - it just wouldn't print dark lines properly. Almost certainly a toner problem. When I eventually did get an image out of it I found I'd made it too small. Doh! Harder to colour - but the printer wasn't playing ball so ... onwards and upwards. Colouring took an age what with the smaller than small detail.

After inking and stamping I realised I hadn't done what I had intended at all. It looked more like I was trapped in a dark world looking out at a bright world. Got that backwards ... I wanted to be looking "into" the mysterious world ... not out of a dungeon! Ah well, best laid plans and all that. I bet if a psychologist analysed this card they might have plenty to say about my current mental state :-) LOL

Leprechaun Badge

2010-03-13T16:47:00.009Z

I made this badge for little Johnny Junior for St. Patrick's Day, my youngest fan: an excitable delightful 3 year old. This year I used a glue gun to fix the broach pin to the back instead of the Velcro I used last year which apparently was lost after just 30 minutes and had little Johnny wailing for an hour!

The Leprechaun image is from an online colouring book; I printed it out, coloured with copics and added two wobbly eyes - by little client request :-) One thing I would like to highlight is how I used the sentiment here. I used a Personal Impressions clear stamp called "all year round" and bent it a little bit to match the Nestabilities circle die curve and stamped it a few times: it worked like a "charm".

I was considering purchasing the "JUST RITE Nestabilities Rubber Stamps", but was overwhelmed by the vast number of different sizes and accessories I might have to purchase. Even looking through all the variants gave me a headache. So, I gave up on them, and I am very pleased that I did! Simply bending a clear sentiment stamp can give just as good a result without the expense. In fact, the variety one can potentially achieve like this may even be far greater! Well ... that's my opinion anyhow :-)

Hope this info helps someone with a similar dilemma! A penny saved is a penny earned!

Now ... to wrap up. Here's something one of the "lads" sent me on International Women's day. Very entertaining!

Love... Hurts!

2010-03-10T14:00:00.003Z

Hi all, this week over at Copic Colour Challenge, we were asked to use W7, C7 and BG95. Here is my DT card, a great colour combo if you ask me! Right in my comfort zone!

The image used here is Cheryl's digi stamp called Double Kissed from squigglefly. A non crafty friend of mine bought it with the intention of putting it on her favourite t-shirt and her newly purchased Timbuk2 canvas bag and asked me to hand color them! Yeah ... right! Lovely! Did I mention she isn't crafty? A good friend maybe will ask first whether I ever tried to use copics on fabric, a naughty one will show you what she already bought and sugar coat it with lots of "pretty pleases!" You heard me, that's a naughty girl there!

Anyhow, I gave it a shot and tried some copics on an old t-shirt, it's a nightmare, it blurred out like mad. Nearly no control and shading is just impossible. So, if someone here has tried before and can offer any tips they'd be highly appreciated!

As a trial, I colored the image on a highly absorbent bristol board and kept the colours to a minimum muted palette before butchering the bag (those bags aren't cheap!) I liked the result so, rather than wasting it, I put it on a simple card and gave it a great title (IMHO) "Love ... Hurts!". "Hurts" is on the inside, just like in real life! Lol! :-) I plan to use the same title on the T-shirt when I get around to it.

Anyhow, while colouring ... I simply fell in love with this image - I was wondering how come I'd never come across her image before. Her images aren't just cute they have great energy and attitude too! Stay tuned, there'll be a few more ... soon!

Detox

2010-03-06T17:54:00.010Z

I felt dizzy when going through boxes of ribbons, flowers, blings and tons of pattern paper to create a layout! I was asking myself if I was stuck in a rut? I can't believe how much stuff I have and how much money I spent. And, since when has organization and maximization of storage become ultimate goals? (sigh)

I am so going back to the basics, so basic that if you remove any single element then you couldn't call it a card anymore. I even used only black to color my image. Woman, as they say, always go between extremes.

I feel purified after making this one. It reminds me of the very first card I ever made. Crisp and simple (well, back then this was all I could do). It's like going to detox, an escape from all craft companys' invisible claws (marketing). No matting and layering, no ribbons nor papers, no blings nor glitters. Girls, I can highly recommend it!

Ingredients:
Card Stock
Stamps: Pepper & Friends, Personal Impressions
Distress Ink

that's it! :-)

First Copic Colour Challenge DT Card

2010-03-02T18:14:00.013Z

I'm giving strong colours a spin one more time! This week on the Copic Colour Challenge blog we're using BG15, B93, and Y21 for Challenge 54.

I thought this cupcake paper from Basic Grey is perfect for the task. I doodled a flower shape first in pencil, then used copic multiliner over it and then erased the pencil marks. It's nice to get away from the usual square cards. I stamped the image and colored it with copics.

Then, I had a flash of creativity - I decided to make a fringe for the center of the card by cutting a piece of paper with scissors to try to look a little more like as a daisy center. Is that clever? You know I know it is :-) I really like the result and the way the fringe oscillates! I also entered this in this week's Cupcake Craft Challenge, the theme is "Round and Round"!

That's it for today, have a happy Wednesday everyone!

Purple and Puggly

2010-02-27T14:49:00.007Z

I've had this paper pack called Uphoria from Basic Grey for ages, but never used once! I found the color combination is quite odd and a bit too vibrant for my taste. It's too small(6x6) to wrap gifts and it would be a pity to just throw it out. (I often wrap gifts with unwanted scrapbook paper!) So I took a trip outside my comfort zone and had a go. The result.... Mmm.... hard to say really. I guess I am still not quite sure about that paper!

I used an ever reliable Sarah Kay image, colored it with copics and cut some flowers off the pattern paper from the same pack, then I backed it with some magical shred.

To answer Ann's question, the photo of my pug on the side bar is taken by me before Christmas and since our pug had a lot of face surgery we don't post many photos of him on Flickr. I promise I'll add more soon. Poor pugs, by breed they have so many issues! He had eyelid reduction and partial eye lash removal - they were scaring his eyes with every blink. Poor thing! The best vet eye surgeon in Ireland Michael Woods looked after him and did an amazing job! He also had to have his nostrils enlarged (our pug, not Michael, LOL!) and soft palette reduced to aid his poor breathing in UCD.

Although his parents are both champions, we never showed him once. I don't like the concept and process of the dog shows I saw. It's more like a competition for human ego if you ask me! Now he has much smaller eyes and breathes a bit better but he is still the best pug in the world! Certainly, he does snore like a champion!

Have a nice weekend, all my lovelies!

Just a Quick Note ...

2010-02-24T00:00:00.006Z

Hi all, hope you're all keeping well! I have an exciting piece of news to share, I will be on board with a group of very talented ladies on Copic Color Challenge design team! Yeaah! Do pop over to see some amazing work! I'll update my sidebar soon. Till then, you can visit at the link above.

Here is an "Any Occasion" Card I made today. I took the colour inspiration from three little plants I received as a thank you gift for the new years dinner I held.

I did 2 pieces of parchment work and mounted them around a stamped and coloured image. Decorated with ribon and blings. The frame stamp is from Papermania Signature ... but I've lost track of where the flower stamp came from, had it a long time :-) Martha Stewart border punch was used also. I'm sure you can all spot how this was put together.

Anyhow ... it's getting late ;-) off to bed! Night night!

There's something about that Umbrella ...

2010-02-19T23:59:00.005Z

I made this little handbag for my friend's daughter's birthday. She told me she would like a Radley umbrella for this year's gift - not any umbrella, only a Radley to match her new Radley backpack! Ha ha ... Can you believe this little 4 year old dote is already brand concious! So I went on a trip to the House of Fraiser for the umbrella and of course couldn't resist doing some window shopping and ended up coming home with a few pieces for me too! It was very funny when hubby came home and saw all the shopping bags and asked me how many umbrellas I had bought! Maybe there was an umbrella sale?! LOL!

Anyway, back to this handbag/card, the lovely image is a free digi stamp from the stamping boutique. I coloured the stamp using copics and the paper purse is from K&Co. Mmm, when I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for the occasion! I was told by the mummy she loved it, and she kept it with her all the next day. Awww... How cute!

While I was doing the umbrella reserch I found this, take a look, it's cracking!

"The Blunt Technology Umbrella performed and functioned in winds at Force 12 (117 km/h or 72.7mph) - the maximum setting of the wind tunnel - which far exceeds existing umbrella design performance." Check out the YouTube vid

Since it's still February and we are in Ireland I might well need something like this! The problem is if the umberella can handle this wind ... can I? Or will I take off like Mary Poppins! LOL!

Have a good weekend!

Happy Chinese New Year to You All!

2010-02-14T13:06:00.007Z

Hi all, today is the first day of the New Tiger Year! So, here I wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year! I found this little cute FREE digi image from MYGRAFICO a new discovery for me and a truly great site! I thought it would be perfect for this year's New Year card. As this year I was away from home, this'll make an ideal card for my beloved parents, bless them! This card is only 4X4 inch, small and mighty! I colored it with copics and used red and gold cardstock for a traditional festive look and punched four corners with Fiskars corner punches and added some old school peel-offs and a red twine to finish off.

We had a lovely Eve dinner with a few close friends at Diep le Shakar, despite the unbearable noise the food was great! Today, I am going to host a traditional hot-pot at my place. As I am not a great cook I think hot-pot would be a safe bet for me (and my guests, lol!) Mum promised me to standby on skype, but I still have eighteen varieties of food to prepare and hubby has to finish all the decorations so I'd better get moving and everyone... wish me luck!

Two Challenges:

Cupcake Craft Challenges
Simon Says Challenge

Valentilda!

2010-02-09T19:45:00.005Z

It's February - spring is just around the corner ... or maybe not, he might have got lost on the way ... even saw some Jack Frost around about!

I've never really been a big fan of valentines day - my hubby alwasys spoils me - it's a bit sticky to say that ... but it's true :-D. Last weekend we were in Orchard garden centre - laughing at each other not knowing why we were there at all! Still managed to leave with 14 little Primulas, a white hydrangea (my fave!), a big pot of miniature roses (lol!) and a metalwork bike / pot holder that I've been spying for over a year! In order to justify all this I just had to say it was for Valentines! DH just said he needed no excuse. Awwwwww.

Anyway, I'm meandering. Despite not being a big fan of Valentines Day I still had to make a few cards to share the love among friends. Here's Tilda making an appearance again for one of my girlfriends. Quite a straightforward card really ... the only thing I did a little differently was to use a chipboard heart with a sticky side outwards. By that, I mean, I peeled off the protective paper and put glitter on the sticker side and coated it with dimensional glaze. Then, mounted it on the card with the chipboard side down :-)

Ingredients:
Paper: My Mind's Eye - Asparagus
Stamp: Tilda with Heart Dress, PM Sentiment Stamp
Tools: Copic Sketch Markers, Polychoromos Pencils, Spellbinders Shapeabilities - Floral Accent, Spellbinders Oval Die.
Embelishments: Basic Grey Chipboard, Blue Hills Studios Flower, Ribbon Bow, Glitter

Second Time Evil

2010-01-26T21:48:00.007Z

Hi all, hope you are all keeping well! Sorry I wasn't around lately, just getting back on track after the short holiday, here I am!

This belated birthday card is for my friend. I wasn't very organized this month, so I didn't make one for her before the holidays, bold aren't I?! And the more terrible thing is I realized I did the exact same thing last year as well! So I had to do right by her and splashed out on an extra special gift ... now I don't think I can afford to forget her birthday next year again. LOL!

Here is the card, I embossed with my cuttlebug emboss folder on a piece of pearlescent card stock, cut out the aperture using the spellbinders nestabilities circle die. I used the cutout center for inside and then been stamped it with a SeeD sentiment stamp. I cut a scalloped circle on a separate piece of card stock and used the same circle die to cut out the center piece to form a thin scalloped ring, inked it with memento ink tuxedo black then glued it onto the aperture. The butterfly and the flower are both from Kaiser Craft. After stamping and cutting, I placed them on the card along with some blings. This was quite an easy and simple card to make, and the important thing is she liked it!

And we all lived happily ever after :-)

Double Whammy to Start 2010

2010-01-07T20:50:00.014Z

Hi all, these two are my first crafty projects for 2010! I haven't touched my paint brushes lately as has been pointed out - only card making in the recent few months! OK, as a new years crafty resolution, I promise I will do more painting and will post here!

These two cards were commissioned for twin boys' upcoming birthday. I thought through the design in detail as I found it quite challenging, this being my first time making cards for twins. I decided to follow the "SAME ... BUT NOT QUITE" theory. I used the same Hanglar stamp image with slight variations on the hair, clothes and accessories as well as differences in the embellishments. On one I used 3d foam pads to lift the image and the other is an aperture style. I also kept the layout quite simple as I didn't want to overload them with heavy textures, flower power, and color explosions! (I have to bear in mind there are others out there --- like noncrafters, who can't handle mass / extreme decoration) LOL

One thing I would like to share with all my crafty friends is I started using a new coloring technique on these two cards :-) You may already spot the change. It's the background! I heavily used dots instead of my usual smooth inking. I believe it has given them more depth and a richer more interesting look! I used copic grey tones from light to dark applied in a dotty motion, and then added one extra color to match the overall color theme. Have a go yourself, it's quite simple but fun!

Most importantly, these two look good together, IMHO! Mission accomplished! Now, just hope the mum likes them too!

I haven't done any challenges lately, I think I will enter my card to Cute Card Thursday this time! That's all from me now, stay tuned!

Best Brother in Law

2009-12-29T14:41:00.005Z

Hi all, a short post from me to share my excitement over the Christmas! My dear brother in law got me 4 boxes of Copic Sketch markers. Ex-1, Ex-2, Ex-3 & Ex-4. Is he a darling or what? I was totally and utterly over the moon. His gifts are always fabulous ... this year he really outdid himself. He even wrapped them "end to end" so I had no idea what it was until the wrapping came off :-) How sweet is that?! Ladies ... he's still single ;-)

With these new additions, my Sketch set is now complete! Applause!

Rush Hour

2009-12-17T18:05:00.009Z

Thank God the topper was colored a few days ago - I heard the exciting news that one of my favorite old college mates was back in town from the States and would be joining our private reunion party. So - this card had to be made literally before I changed my dress. When I had it all done, I decided to squeeze in a few photos! Ok, terribly naughty, I know! I was somewhat late because of that (obviously not due to being unable to choose which dress or shoes) but hey now you can see the card here today! Well worth it! The night itself was wonderful, great food, great music and great news: an engagement, one mum to be, and well ... one separation. Life never fails to surprise!

I think this is probably the last Christmas card I'll make this year. I might do some tags to go along with the gifts. Eeek, mentioning gifts, I still haven't finished all my shopping, not very organized this year!

What is this? Anyone know? Well ... This is my DH's latest technical photo. I think it's so cool ... and wanted to share it with you. This is ... our Christmas tree while lit up! Yep, no mistake, it's cool coz it's nothing like a tree at all! LOL! How did he do it? He threw / spun the camera in the air (many times, accompanied by my high pitched screams I might add :-). So if you want to use this as party trick: here's how: 1) Darken the room, 2) High F Stop number, 3) Long exposure, 4) Focus on the tree lights, turn on manual focus, 5) Click and throw ... now just make sure you hold the strap or you will need to put a new camera on your next year's list!

Here I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a great 2010! Hope you all get what you want and even more! Big hugs!!!

Under Pressure

2009-12-11T15:23:00.010Z

Chaos is what I've seen recently in my dear friend's house with her three children, things get broken all the time. "Don't touch it" echoes around the house all the time. Every mum this month will have the most busy and chaotic time of the year. It's part of the full Festive package! I made this frame card for her just for the crack. A pile of cats and a reconstructed picture frame, hope it can bring her a little smile!

The stamp is from Squigglefly and is designed by Crissy. It's a really cute and fun stamp to work with. I colored the cats with copics, I intentionally used a more dotty motion to try to achieve a furry look rather than the normal blending. I think the bottom cat's expression nicely captures the concept of being under pressure ... so I gave her a bit of extra blush. Poor Kitty!

My tree, lights and all the Christmas decor are finally in place around the house. This is the first Christmas in our new home. Everything is so exciting. Now the house is ready for action ... all we need now is some snow! Thanks for looking and have a lovely weekend!

Ingredients:
Paper: K&Co.
Stamp: Squigglefly digi stamp
Tools: Copics, Distressed ink, Acrylic paints
Embellishments: Staples, Eyelets, Brads and a little twine

Birthdays in December

2009-12-03T22:13:00.004Z

Yep, I have a good few friends and a wonderful granny in law who all celebrate birthdays in December, mmmm... I love it, it makes this month truly the busiest and best of the year. Well, of course my credit card wouldn't agree - it thinks it's been run over by a truck ... several times! This card is for my lovely friend Michelle, she is mad about polka dots and glitter. I really enjoyed making it. It was my first attempt with distress ink coloring.

Still waiting on the magnolia stamp club winter collection to arrive, no sign yet. Has anyone out there got theirs yet? Some nice news though - Santa came early this year! My parents got me a shiny new HP laptop. My dad is unique - he never gives me anything for my birthday or Christmas ... but, instead, gets me something roughly near the occasion +/- 4 to 6 weeks. LOL! Quite fun actually, I never know when or what to expect! Now my old thinkpad can retire (and take it's 2 minute battery with it!)

Anyhow, thanks for looking. Have a lovely weekend all! BTW I went to see Ardal O'Hanlon last week in Vicar Street. He was just too good - if you get the chance to see him live or he has a DVD out this Christmas with the recent show it'd be a great gift for someone.

Ingredients:
Paper: K & Co
Stamps: Hanglar, See-D's Sentiments
Tools: Spellbinder Dies, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder
Colouring: Distress Ink
Embellishments: Prima Flowers, Buttons from Buttons Galore, Mesh, Pearls, Skeleton Leaf and blings from stash

For a Friend's Anniversary

2009-11-26T22:22:00.004Z

Phew, what a week, busy, busy, busy. Lots of shopping, catching up with my girlfriends, bringing down the Christmas decor from the attic. Arranging to get new blinds installed, hunting for a new dress for the party season and trying to work out a bit to fit into the dress ... lol ... yes, I don't do new year resolutions, my theory is do it before the Christmas, look great for all the parties and enjoy eating all I like ... no parties after the Christmas season ... so what's the point!

Anyhow, it was a busy week, but I still managed to squeeze in a bit of time to make a card for a friend's upcoming anniversary.

I couldn't find any swirl blings for behind the leaf, so I used a bit of florist wire to bend into a similar shape. It turned out well I think.

BTW, I watched a few movies this week, one animated movie called "9" is out this week on DVD. The story is good ... but the graphics are truly out of this world! Every frame is a piece of art. Highly recommended if you haven't seen it yet.

Ingredients:
Paper: K&Co paper, cream card stock
Embellishments: Prima flowers, BG chipboard (painted, distressed and glittered), ribbon, buttons and florist's wire from stash,
Tools: distressed ink, spellbinder dies, colored pencils, Hanglar stamp, See-D's sentiment stamp.

What a Pain!

2009-11-17T19:41:00.008Z

You know when you really want something, but can't get your hands on it. What a pain! I guess some of you might agree with me, why we can't get our hands on Hanglar stamps more easily.

I only had a few images kindly given to me by my crafty friend Claudia in March on a swap event. Back then, I wasn't aware these stamps were such a big deal! They're nearly impossible to get unless you move to Sweden or Norway! That sucks! I might have to head to a new ski resort this year - I already used all my Internet power (DH ;-) to search for any way to buy the new ones to no avail: nothing, not even a banana on ebay! Horrifying! What can you do when it's "not even on ebay!" Grrrr!

Anyhow, I have the few I have and decided to revamp a spring stamp to give a Christmas feel, Yep. Work with what you have, go with the essential spirit of the recession! Anyhow, at least I have the Mangnolia winter stamps to look forward to.

Crochet snowflakes (in the background) B&Q 3 for the price of 2 - if anyone is interested.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ingredients;
Paper: BG eskimo, PM cardstock
Embellishments: Buttons Galore, K&Co gems, mesh and ribbons from stash
Tools: Nestabilities Dies, Quickutz reindeer die cut, x-cut snowflakes punch, glitter glue, distress ink, precious Hanglar stamp coloured with pencils

I am Back at Last

2009-11-10T20:55:00.004Z

I have been on holiday for a month, and it felt like ages. It took me a good week to recover from the jet lag. Naturally, the flight was late for 3 hours, missed connection flights, lost luggage (turned up the next day) ... but the holiday was the greatest ever! Temperature was 26 degree and didn't even have one rainy day! Since I got back home here it's been cold, wet, damp and groomy, very wintry indeed. Thankfully Christmas has arrived ... in the shops at least!

We went to a garden centre last weekend, and I got myself in the festive mood by picking up a couple of decorations and some outdoor lights. (Typical: Retail therapy always works like a charm). Lol! Very effective way to get back to reality. Yesterday, I made my first Christmasy paper project to formally kick off the festivities! Here it is, an album cover for this year's Christmas photos to be.

A decoupage topper for a change; mood wise I haven't fully settled down to coloring yet so I picked a quicker option. Tried to achieve a more vintage look, which is always my weakest part. Paper here is from BG and K&Co, vellum and snowflake from PM, decoupage is from Marianne design, the felt poinsettias and gem are from K&Co, ribbons are from my stash, holly wire is from M&S, the silvery branch and leaves, I snipped from my weekend purchase, very bold! I know! But it does the trick, doesn't it?

I have a very VERY long reading list now and will say hi to catch up with your guys when I'm blog hopping. I can't believe there is a new card style in town! Those easel cards look fab. I must've been on Venus or something!

Manga Hottie for Free

2009-10-01T00:35:00.010+01:00

First, I didn't draw this one! Skill wise I'm nowhere near there yet! This is drawn by "Princess Elemmiriel". Here is the good bit, you can download this artist's image for FREE to color as long as you credit her. To be very honest, most figure stamp images we only use a couple of times, and they are very costly, digi or rubber. Imagine, this kind of image is free! NICE!

The image has a tremendous amount of drawn detail, it's heaven to color if you like fine detail. As long as you print it at a reasonable size it's great. My one is approx 11cm tall, a bit too small really. For the very fine parts, my only choice is gel pens. It's very fiddly for Copic's brush nibs to get within all the lines. I only realized it when I started to color her accessories. Therefore I would advise printing her another 2 cm taller. Of course, no one says you have to color the whole image just using Copic markers. In this case, if you had Letraset Tria markers that would be a real advantage! The background card stock is Bazzill, the other four papers are Japanese Washi paper from my stash. I also used Mizuhiki metallic cords to tie a small knot as a closure for the card opening. I love traditional Japanese media. I glittered her wings to finish. Glitter ... a must have for all angels!

To answer a few recent questions regarding Copics from my lovely crafty friends...

For the paper: I tried every thing I could get my hands on, I found some heavy card stocks are real suckers for the ink. I am currently using laser printing paper 120gsm for my Copics. Any brand really, I compared a few brands, they are all more or less the same, as long as they are for laser printing and very smooth they will do fine! Then, mount on card stock.

For printing digi images, I used the same laser printing paper on a laser printer. So far I don't have any problem with running ink or marking the nibs. If you have more questions, I am happy to answer.

I am not going to post for a while as I am off this weekend for holidays until Halloween night. Time to control my itch fingers and get packing! Take care all and happy crafting!

My Own Manga Card

2009-09-24T21:48:00.009+01:00

I have been wanting to try to draw a manga character for ages. My friend Jilly gave me a book called "Manga for Dummies" for the crack since I got my copics. I think she's teasing me! Can't quite draw a full body yet, getting the face decent is already killing me. They tend to have very long foreheads, small chins and extraordinarily big eyes. I tried three sheets of sketches before eventually getting close enough to the original book. I think it may still lack a bit of spirit though.

I found the hardest part is I like to scribble when I do pencil sketches, but manga art requires simple fine line drawing to express the detail. I have no scribbles to hide my mistakes behind! Now I really appreciate illustrator's work properly. It really isn't easy, well, at least not for me!

According to the dummies instructions, once finished with sketching, I drew over with ink, then erased the pencil marks. I was quite worried at the start as I wasn't sure how the paper would react with copics after I rubbed it with the eraser. It turned out just fine, no ink running, phew. Then, I stamped, distressed, mounted and tied with leather string to give a bit of a Japanese feeling. Here is the finished card (5"x7"), something fresh to see!

I used Dovecraft fantasy paper, colored the image with Copics, ink pen is Pigma Micron, all the stamps from Fancy Pants In My Word, swirl embossing from Cuttle Bug, ribbons, flowers and fabric are from my stash.

Thanks for looking, your comments will be treasured!

Submitted this to Cupcake Crafts Challenge

My First Attempt with Digital Stamps

2009-09-21T21:46:00.008+01:00

Yep, just bought my very first digi stamp over the weekend: I chose this witch image from Mo's digital pencil, her work is the best in the field in my opinion.

The total digi experience has been a success. I'm starting to like the idea of a digi stamp. It is indeed very quick to get your ichy hands on it, no more international shipping hassle - and I can print any size I want, love it! The other happy aspect of this trial experience is how my copics performed. The battle has ended, I believe I won ... for now. Since I got them, this is probably my third or fourth time using them to color an image properly; I think this time with the right paper and a fine image, I explored some of the potential of copics, they are truly remarkable! I am thinking of drawing some proper manga soon. Watch this space :-)

Back to todays creation: I made a holloween scrapbook cover for my dear friend to keep this years crazy photos to be. It's about 6.5" x 8", I keep telling myself not to put too many embellishments and layers, as it needs to be pratical as a cover. Last year one lost its glory due to ongoing loss of embellishments. I will come back from my holidays on halloween day, but since the airline reschduled my flights, I'm going to miss the party :-( Hopefully can still catch the fireworks.

I used distress ink, copic markers for the image, Bobunny sticker for the sentment, bottens from buttons galore and more, fabric star and silver ribbon are from my stash, ribbon is american crafts, pattern paper is KI memory and making memories, gingham velum paper from Joanna Sheen.

Thanks for looking, do you like it? Let me know!

When Gorjuss Goes Bad

2009-09-19T20:38:00.013+01:00

WARNING ... WARNING ... WARNING

Warning! What I am going to show you might offended some very loyal gorjuss girl fans, so please look away if you are one of them!!!

Warning! If you are under age, please look away as this contains a violent and graphic scene.

Warning! If you are an animal anti-obesity supporter, look away, the bear here is over weight!

You have been WARNED! Here it is....

I was inspired by Coraline, and decided to give her button eyes (I'm a huuuuge fan). Now she is the evil version of the gorjuss girl, and committed murder (It wasn't me!). I could leave the poor bear with no blood, maybe just some stuffing, but I believe if he had choice, he would choose something dramatic and stylish. I couldn't resist giving the bear a round tummy when my color pencil was in the area, it just went round and round...

Before you are all mad at me, I have to say I shared this one with Suzanne the creator before I posted on my blog; and she told me she'd done far worse! Her teddies have often borne the brunt of such actions. Check our her gallery.

I used the crafty angels challenge sketch (our own Irish challenge, brand new) and will enter this one for Simon Says stamp challenge as well.

Pattern paper is BG granola, colored in pencils (I love sketching, pencil lines have thier own charm) and distressed with memento inks for a change, colored her button eyes with copic, for a more realistic look acrylic paint for blood (more dimensional), used letter stickers (lost track of where they came from), spiders from Buttons Galore & More.

Second WOJ Card Entry

2009-09-18T21:28:00.006+01:00

I had a lovely day out yesterday with my girlfriends in Dundrum, did lunch and shopping together, and of course caught up the latest gossip. It's so funny as I was supposed to get a pair of curtains for one of the bedrooms but instead we all got stuck in the clothes shop. It is amazing how much encouragement that girls can give each other, so I end up coming back home with something just as heavy as the curtains lol.

Anyhow, when I came back, the eagerly awaited new fence stamp was in my letter box! Thanks to Katharina for her generosity. I wanted to do this card so much since I got the autumn kit from WOJ, but I wanted him to sit on that fence like boys do rather than on a mushroom. Only fairies can be light enough to sit without make jam of it. So, there is the card, my second entry to the Whiff of Joy GDT call. The call ends tomorrow - so hurry up if you want in! The photo turned out nicer than I though, look back at my early posts here, they were a bit blurred, well, I guess we are always learning!

I used copics to color the boy, distress ink for the fence, paper and rub ons are all from BG, rest are some bits from my stash. Thanks for Visiting!

Today's Make

2009-09-16T23:14:00.005+01:00

Since Monday I have been busy, only this afternoon I had a bit of spare time to craft. I made this one today for the following challenges: Just Magnolia, Stampavie and More and Sketch Saturday. This is my second ever entry into any sort of challenge - and this time, I'm going for three! Before I had a blog I wasn't aware of challenges at all - its a whole different source of inspiration and fun. I have to say, with a sketch to follow it's far easier to get started. I am a slow card maker :-) (LO is usually my biggest problem).

In this card, I used watercolor markers for the coloring of my Tilda, PM rub on, BG paper, and BG chipboard, both from bittersweet. Thanks for looking!

Something different, something old.(WoJ GDT Call)

2009-09-11T23:37:00.013+01:00

I've recently been very busy so no posts for a while. I had to book some upcoming holidays. Oh, my head is wrecked trying to find the best flight deals online with the right dates and prices. Thank god, now its all sorted. I finally have some spare time to upload some cards I made last week.

Instead of the usual flower embelishment madness, I chose a more muted oriental theme for the card. However, I still couldn't resist tieing a little Mizuhiki flower for myself.

I used memento ink to stamp, copics to color and BG pattern paper. Both this image and the one below are colored on photo paper with copic markers. Not an ideal paper media as it doesnt blend great - but economic on the ink as it all floats on top. I'm still waiting on bristol board to arrive (Thanks for the tip Katy). Tick tock, still waiting. I am quite pleased with the coloring, so I decided to submit it to the GDT call form on Whiff of Joy. If interested, you guys should pop there and have a look for all the details and other submissions. Lots of lovely work to be seen there!

Another set of Whiff of Joy stamps (bench, girl and flowers), I just love the new autumn stamp kit from Whiff of Joy. I used some skeleton leaves, deeeep down in my stash, that had been loooong forgotten. Now, I think my card is a bit old school, but perfect for the autumn. (No convincing summer in Ireland ... again).

3 Steps to Nirvana

2009-09-03T21:38:00.006+01:00

It was this Monday...
The Door Bell rang...
I try to remain calm...
Watched the postman leaving my drive way ...
Closed the door, and especially the windows ...
Where is my camera ... need to witness history in the making ...
... the day "they" arrived ...
... I feel warm ... ... dizzy ... ... a bright light ...
1 .. 2 .. 3 .. Nirvana ...

and ... then I nearly drop the camara ... skipping laps around the kitchen with my pug tailing me wondering why everything is so exciting suddenly... it was like being a 10 year old again ... just received something so unjustifiable ... and so unreasonable ... up there with handbags and shoes... another craft ladies prerogative.

She Is Hot

2009-09-03T19:41:00.003+01:00

I colored this one using color pencils, and it turned out very nicely, I think. The visual result is not as smooth as with other color media, but they still have their own charm. I love her in black hair, and decided to give a grey dress. The backing paper is from my Chiyogami stash. And when I show this to my DH, the first sentence is she is hot. Looks like I succeeded.

Pencil Sketch

2009-08-29T21:08:00.005+01:00

This is probably the most satisfying free hand pencil sketch I have done recently. Yes, it is my version of Leonardo da Vinci's drawing "Profile of a Warrior in Helmet" (1472). It took me two afternoons to finish it. I think a lot of detail could be done better such as the ribbons and Lion on the chest. Anyhow, I just get bored too easily. However, I am still very happy with the result. For those of you who spot it, I drew this on watercolour paper ... that's all I had to hand - when I started I was only drawing on impulse ... then it developed into a real drawing. Oops!

Oh...Yes

2009-08-21T21:36:00.007+01:00

I know, I know, this is not my usual style, it isn't subtle at all. I guess sometimes I just have have to work outside my comfort zone. I love the result, it is as vibrant as I had hoped, so I guess there will be plenty more to follow. I decided to use this as a cover for my new notebook - it's just too hard to give it away as a card considering this is my very first magnolia attempt.

I had my eyes on these adorable stamps for a good while, I finally gave in to temptation and ordered a few last week. They just arrived yesterday afternoon, Ahhh..... "sun is shinning, sky is so blue...." Oh no, there is a problem, I only have watercolor makers, no copic markers yet. To achieve the vibrancy and blends using watercolor in a such small area AND without turning the card stock into mush is going to be a hell of challenge.

Slowly and lightly I worked ... until the sun was long gone, and the sky was pich dark. Finally though ... Yippee! the result turned out nicely, not perfect, the paper is now bit worn out in small areas. I guess before I start to use the B word (and acquiring some copics) I will try the color pencil next time as a comparison. I will keep you all updated!

2009-08-14T00:13:00.000+01:00

I noticed a few fellow crafters like my parchment projects. I dug this one out and uploaded it. what can I say about this one?! CRAZY! It was a crazy amout of cutting work, I abandoned the project twice during cutting. Finally, I finished it and didn't touch my parch tools for 2 months. So...enjoy!
Oh, btw, I learned how to add a watermark to the photo, but couldn't find the proper copyright symbol :-), maybe tomorrow.

Two Stamp Cards

2009-08-12T22:31:00.000+01:00

A cute little card based on a card I saw in a craft magazine. I really love it so I never gave it to anyone - just too cute.

This is also based on a card from the same magazine; I love the combination of red and black - very striking.

My Recent Parchment Work

2009-08-11T23:13:00.001+01:00

Took me ages to make this one place mat - I'm not going to make a full set anytime soon! It's going to have to remain as one of a kind.

Is that cute or not? Mary is expecting a new boy - but I haven't found out the name yet. Once I get it it's going straight onto the name plate.

A friend asked me to make something "blue" for a coming wedding in September.

Thank You Card

2009-08-10T23:24:00.002+01:00

My very first post, a newly made thank you card for a friend who helped us move recently. Simple embossing in white on a black card, great impact. Hope you all like it.