Hamish and His Tractor

I haven't used this little guy for ages, but I thought he suited a two year old really well.  I've coloured Hamish with Tractor with Promarkers and a liberal amount of gloss on the tractor. 

The papers are a mix of Basic Grey Oliver (I think), First Edition Up, Up and Away and Bo Bunny Alora, with some Bazzil Basics card for matting.  The letters came with a scrapbooking set I got from Costco last year and i love them - great size and perfect with my circle punch!


I would like to enter the following challenges:

Sugar Bowl - Sketch

Crafting When We Can - One for the Boys

Crazy 4 Challenges - Use some Green

Sweet Stampin' - Use Lots of Green

Totally Papercrafts - Male Card

Dream Valley Challenge 28 - Easter

The challenge, for this fortnight, at Dream Valley is Easter.  Originally, I thought I'd make a scrap page of our Easter outings , but realised that there weren't many last year due to us moving house just beforehand and the year before, we were sledging and skiing at Aviemore, which just didn't seem Spring enough!  So, I opted for a card instead.

We are being sponsored by Mulberry Crafts AND Meljen's Designs this challenge and the team were lucky enough to get a few images to play with.  I have used the super cute Meljen's Designs Little Lamb, coloured a little with promarkers.  I've used the Sketch and Stash sketch, some VERY neglected papers and ribbon. 

I'm looking forward to seeing your wonderful Easter creations at Dream Valley.  And remember that you could have the chance to win:

A goody bag from Mulberry Crafts or 4 images from

Happy crafting, everyone!
Susie x

Scrappy Mother's Day Cards

One of my most favourite crafting techniques / styles / things to do is to use up my scraps.  I have a drawer, butter tub AND plastic display book filled with strips, die cut scraps, odd shaped bits of paper that I can't bear to part with.  And if its taking up space, I NEED to find a use for it or else I'll feel compelled to chuck it in the bin, won't I?

So, my first card has a scalloped circle, cut from scrap paper from something else I printed.  It has been embossed with a Crafts Too folder with a couple of flowers from stash and a sequin and bead centre.  That has, in turn been layered onto some black card, scrap Bo Bunny Alora strip and ribbon, with a circle die cut scrap frame.  There is another Bo Bunny scrap frame around that.  (I must admit to being rather mean, or waste conscious when matting my papers: there's normally a die cut shape hidden behind it!!) Then, there is a red heart, scrim heart and butterfly tucked behind the main circle, with beads sewn for the butterfly body. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Say it with Flowers

Hiding in My Craft Room - Super Scraps Saturday

Crafts and Me - Circles

And then, I made this scrappy card too, using a scrap die cut frame with some doodling and Stickles, a vine and flowers cut from scraps of red and black paper and the Bo Bunny Alora paper strikes again!!

I would like to enter these challenges:

Moving Along with the Times - Special Lady

The Crafty Pad - Mum's the Word

Craft Your Days Away - Mother's Day

Papertake Weekly - One for the Girls, or Mum

My Mum's Craft Shop - Mum's the Word

An Award

I am so chuffed to have been nominated for the Liebster Blog Award...

Thank you, Mags for thinking of me, and thank you for leaving me such lovely comments. 

The LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD is used to show appreciation of smaller blogs (under 200 followers)  and to help spread readership and joy.
As part of the tradition the award is to be passed along to five other blogs that have motivated and inspired me.
The name comes from the German meaning Dearest or  Beloved, but can also mean Favourite.

To accept the Award you must:
1. Link back to the person's blog who gave it to  you, and thank them.
2. Post on your blog.
3. Give to five other Bloggers who you appreciate and value.
4. Leave a comment on the five blogs you choose and  let them know.

Now, there are soooo many blogs that inspire me and make me happy, so it was a tall order to choose 5, but here they are:

Susan - Mix's Meanderings

Susan - Lily's Secret Garden

Jack - Jack's Arty Crafty Kreations

Clare - Crafty Clare

Rachel - My Crafty Life

Cutesy Baby Girl

I adore this stamp for baby cards!  The elephant is super cute and I love the heart shaped bubble.

I've coloured Blowing Bubbles with Promarkers and Stardust Stickles.  I've dug out these beautiful Henbury Lane papers, matted onto some pink paper from Papermill.  I have used my favourite Circle and Scalloped Circle Nesties for the image and sentiment and cut a heart from scrim using Sizzix Heart Framelits. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Crafty Purple Frog - Pink and Girly

Divas By Design - Favourite Things (Image, Scalloped & Circle nesties, scrim, Hearts Framelits die)

Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Celebrations (3rd entry)

Crafting When We Can - Animals

Angus Dog

I started colouring this neglected image, called Angus, for my Aunt.  I've used my polychromo pencils and doodled around the frame to add a little more interest. 

Texture has been added through the use of scrim (over the spotty paper), some rafia and by embossing the stripes.  I added some pen to the stripes too.  All of the paper was dug out from my stash and the Forever Friends sentiment was also used for the first time in months and months and months!!!!

I used the fab sketch at Sketch and Stash and I liked it so much, that I used it again:

 

This time, I tried white on white and added interest and texture by embossing each piece and edging it with Silver Stickles (another less used bit of stash!).  I made a scrim flower (have I told you how much I love this stuff?!) and attached it using a button and paper flower. 

I would also like to enter:

Crafty Creations - Stripes (first card)

Paper Pretties - Masculine card (first one again)

Krafty Let's Hit the Town

 

She's gorgeous, is Let's Hit the Town and I LOVE colouring her, especially using my Polychromo pencils and a bit of gloss on her shoes.  I was brave too, cos I used some black pencil on her skirt to darken the shadows/folds a bit more. 

I've used some dotty paper from the First Edition Summer Breeze pad, together with a couple of scraps - one from the same pad and the flowery one from Dovecraft Sugar and Spice pad.  Everything has been layered on to Kraft.  

The ribbon came from a birthday cake, I think and the flowers punched from scraps of card and paper.  I have made a flower from a strip of scrim, which I really love using (just in case you haven't already gathered that fact from my numerous previous posts mentioning it!!). 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

The Sugar Bowl - Sketch and Kraft

Stampin' for the Weekend - Bingo (flowers, polkadots, die cuts)

One Stitch at a Time - Reuse or Recycle (paper scraps, ribbon)

Patchwork Blues

This card was so much fun to make!  I love sewing and would love to do more....on cards, cushions, pictures, clothes....I just need a LOT more time!

My friend asked me to make a card for her MIL, who likes sewing.  After a fair bit of brainstorming, I decided to go for a patchwork effect, so have had the opportunity to use up lots of scraps, this time the Papermania Henbury papers.  It also includes a scrim and paper heart, embellished with cross stitches and a button.  The letters are Sizzix dies, layered on to die cut circles, which have been embossed using a Crafts Too folder for a bit more texture.  Beads and buttons have been sewn into the flowers and onto the FF greeting, which I have had for ages and got out of the habit of using. 

A close up of the cross stitches on heart and 'M':

And the flowers, with sequin flowers, beads and button:

 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Top Tip Tuesday: Stitches - real or faux

CES Challenge - Flower Frenzy

One Stop Craft - Button It

Dream Valley Challenge 27 - Mother's Day

 

On 18th March, it will be Mother's Day and so, that is our theme over at Dream Valley this fortnight!  And we have two fantastic sponsors: One Stop Card Crafts and Crafty Ribbons.  

At first, I was going to show you the card I've made for my mam....but then I decided that it would spoil the surprise for her..... so, I decided to show one of the two jewellery sets I was asked to make for Mother's Day presents.  It is made using clear, silver and grey beads and the wonderful silver curved tubes that I love.  

And the box was decorated using some silver foiled card and MME Vanity Flair paper, cut with Nesties Small Labels, a scrim heart, Sizzix vine and punched flowers.  There is also some Silver Stickles in the centre of the flowers and corners of the frame.  

Here is a close up of the jewellery:

And the other set is similar but different, with some pearly grey beads:

Remember that at Dream Valley, you can enter any type of craft, as long as it follows our Mother's Day theme.  I can't wait to see what you come up with:0)

I would also like to enter the following challenges:

Craft your Days Away - Mother's Day

Crafty Ann's Challenge - Anything But a Card

Crafty Catz - Punches and Dies (on the boxes)

Have a happy Sunday, folks!

Delectable Delia

Delia's cute, isn't she?  Now originally, I coloured her to use for my bestest friend's little girl, Lily's birthday (who is Lou and Euan's honourary sister!).  Her favourite colour is orange, hence how I coloured her.  But when I asked Lou whether she thought Delia or Gorjuss Bumble Bee suited Lily more, she opted for Bumble Bee.

So, I had a complete change of mind about my choice of papers: from MME Bloom & Grow to these Dovecraft Sugar & Spice ones.  And I checked out Sketch Saturday's sketch:

Oh my goodness, when I first saw this one I thought it was WAY too fancy for my style......but then seeing all the great inspiration from the team, I decided that it would be a brilliant challenge to have a go and I'm so glad I did! 

I've used rafia and Butter Mint Card Candy for embellishments and Delia has had some glamour dust added to her wings and wand and Gloss to her shoes and wand.  The greeting has also been completely glossed but my photo doesn't really show it.  After much deliberation, I used artistic licence and opted for a rafia bow in place of the the 3 button/ribbon details - hope that's ok.

So, I would like to enter it in:

Sketch Saturday - Sketch (funnily enough!)
Allsorts - Spread Your Wings
The Poodles Parlour - Birthdays

Sugar Nellie Facebook Challenge - Colour inspiration: