Dream Valley- No Designer Paper

Hello, peeps! Hope you're all fine and dandy on this wet and miserable Sunday.

Over at Dream Valley this fortnight, our challenge is No Designer Paper. At first, I made the card for my best friend's birthday. I stamped the circle background using the Inkylicious Tiny Text and Tumbled Glass Distress Ink - I adore this colour! I then stamped the Inkylicious Make a Wish in black over the text and added Silver and Stardust Stickles. The white fishtail background has been embossed and matted onto silver card. There's a little bit of twine been added and the sentiment is from Clearly Besotted. I followed the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.

I then had a bit of fun sewing. Haven't had time to just sew and create and test for a while but I loved doing these. The smaller one is perfect size for an iPod (although just a touch too small for an iPhone, so I'll be making the next one slightly larger) and the larger one is big enough for my phone, cards, change, lipgloss and a few other items - it'll be great for the gym so that those items don't get lost in the depths of my bag! I've added an inner pocket to each and a keyring clasp - useful for clipping to a large bag or onto a zip, or whatever. I'm going to enjoy making a few of these in some of the fabrics I have. Just need more bias binding and zips. Oh, and I decided to add a bow to the smaller one, so it now looks like this:

 

So, what will you create for Dream Valley this challenge?

 

A Krafty Kind of Love

Please don't drop in shock, but I have another blog post - my second in two days!!!!

Anyway, one of my Christmas presents was a gift card for Clearly Besotted, which I absolutely LOVE! So, after much thought and deliberation, and some items going out of stock whilst I was deliberating, I bought the Building Blocks stamps as one of my items and I love them. I've had a play and come up with this. The sentiment is also from Clearly Besotted from the Happy Everything set. Very simple, just the way I like it!

I would like to enter the Clearly Besotted challenge - Love, and the Freshly Made Sketches challenge.

 

Dream Valley DT - Clean and Simple

Hello, folks! Hopefully, my blogging will be able to get back on track as I have completed my Christmas Fayre yesterday. I really enjoyed it and it went well.....phew!

Our challenge at Dream Valley this time is Clean and Simple. I would say that the majority of my cards are fairly clean and simple, but I wanted to challenge myself and try a one layer card. It was great fun! I cut a circle to use as a stencil and used my Tumbled glass Distress Ink directly inside the "stencil" to create the background. Then I used my favourite Inkylicious Make a Wish dandelions in black ink, with some silver and stardust Stickles. I stamped my Clearly Besotted butterfly and my sentiments, also from Clearly Besotted Just for You.

I enjoyed it so much, that I got a bit carried away and did some Christmas cards:

I would like to enter:

Little Claire's challenge - Christmas

Creatalicious Challenge - Christmas Time

Papertake Weekly - Snow and Ice

 

And another birthday card with a bit of bling:

 

 

Cute and Cuddly for Naomi

Funky Kits' Cute and Cuddly image is my new favourite image for baby cards.......I especially love the giraffe! I've coloured it with promarkers and polychromos and the balloon has been glossed. I have also used by fabulous Clearly Besotted Basic Alphabet stamps, which I love as they stamp clearly and easily line up. The layout, as ever, is relatively simple, with just a bit of texture and bling added to the image.

I would like to enter the Sugar Bowl - Anything Goes

Just a wee update....Buddy, is now 5 months old - getting big but still cute! Here he is now:

 

Dream Valley DT - Purple and Green

Apologies, first of all, for the lack of blog posts.....I've just been extremely busy with orders, puppy and life in general!

So, the challenge this fortnight at Dream Valley, is Purple and Green and there is a surprise goody bag for the winner! I had originally planned to use jewel tones of purple and green, but they just weren't working for me. I had a minor worry that this challenge was more of a challenge than it should have been, then remembered that the gorgeous Forever Friends Kraft Notes papers had paler greens and purples with beautiful patterns and I was sold.....and relieved!! I was also pleased to be able to use some of the purple mulberry paper that I've had in my stash for years.

I stamped the Inkylicious Tiny Text in Bundled Sage Distress Ink, then stamped the black Inkylicious Make A Wish dandelions over it. The dandelions have had a little bit of Silver and Stardust Stickles added for a subtle shimmer. I have also used my beloved Clearly Besotted Butterfly Wishes Additions dies and Basic Alphabet stamps and the sentiment is from the Twinkle Toes set.

I hope you're all doing ok. As soon as I can, I'll be nosing around your blogs and makes!

Susie x

 

Sabrina for My Sis

The first time I saw Krista's image, Sabrina, I knew that I would use it for my sister! My sister lives in Austria, and embraces many of the traditions, including traditional Austrian dress, the dirndl. Her dirndl is beautiful emerald green, with a white blouse and apron. Hence the colours I have used in my colouring of Sabrina. I've used my lovely polychromo pencils and Stardust Stickles.

I have stamped the leaves in Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint Distress Inks and cut it into a circle. The LOTV sentiment, letters and flowers are stamped in Worn Lipstick and the Spellbinders Foliage die as been used, yet again!!

I've kept the layout very clean and simple....this was the third layout I tried.....the first two seemed way too chaotic , but this one did, I think, focus on "sister" and the image. The embellished bag in the previous post was also for my sister. Making the bag meant that the present arrived two days late but I was determined that I was making her something, so had to make that compromise.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Allsorts - Favourite Things (Saturated Canary images, polychromo pencils, Distress Inks and MY SIS!)

One Stop Craft - Anything Goes

Totally Gorjuss - Anything Goes with Circles

Saturated Canary - Celebrations

Hope you're getting the chance to enjoy the lovely weather. We're loving the school holidays too. We have a free morning tomorrow, but I'll decide what to do tomorrow....take care, crafty peeps!

Susie x

 

Live, Laugh, Love

The new release of SugarNellie fairies are gorgeous, aren't they? This lovely little lady is called Live, Laugh, Love and I've coloured her with Distress Inks and polychromos. The dress is a bit more vibrant than I'd intended but I do love a turquoise and green combination!

I decided that she needed to be framed so used a little background paper, ribbon, Foliage leaves and flowers from my stash. The finishing embellishment was a Clearly Besotted butterfly, stamped in Worn Lipstick and Tumbled Glass and a little Stardust and Silver Stickles.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Sugar Bowl - Anything Goes

Divas by Design - Cute

Crafts and Me - Anything Goes

The Crazy Challenge - Anything but a Card

Bunny Zoe's - Wings

 

Time For Tea

I haven't used these Summer Driggs papers for ages, but decided they'd be perfect for this tea inspired card. The teapot and cups are from my new Digistamp Boutique Time For Tea set, which I have paper-pieced and fussy cut. I have made a "table cloth" from scraps of paper, with stitching stamped using the Clearly Besotted Just For You set, stamped in Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. The sentiment has been computer generated and I chose a teal coloured ink to co-ordinate with the papers.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Sketch and Stash - sketch, which I have rotated

Totally Gorjuss - Happy Birthday

Digistamp Boutique - Anything Goes

 

A Couple of 80th Cards

Alf is pretty cool, isn't he?! I've coloured him with promarkers and polychromos and the clouds have been stamped using a thought bubble stamp and Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. They have also had a bit if Stardust Stickles added too. The papers are the gorgeous Kaisercraft On the Move - I love the colours in this pad!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Digistamp Boutique challenge - Anything Goes

Cards for Men - Sports

Stampin For the Weekend - Anything Goes

I was also asked for I an 80th card for a man who likes reading, travel and fine red wine. I saw the Freshly Made Sketch and thought that it might work for this card. (Unfortunately, I am too late to enter the challenge.)

I've used a Sizzix embossing plate to add texture to the background and the twirly border was from a Basic Grey pack. The aeroplane has been cut using a Sizzix die and some gloss. The wine bottle and glass is from the Digistamp Boutique Fancy a Tipple set, coloured with my beloved polychromo pencils, Platinum Stickles and gloss. I've also made a little book, using Inkylicious Tiny Text for the pages (unseen) and a bird picture cut from some RSPB address stickers. (I've cut the twine ends shorter now, so they no longer hang over the wine glass.)

I would like to enter Joanna Sheen - Father's Day / Male Card challenge.

 

A Travel Inspired Father's Day Card

At Dream Valley this fortnight, our theme is Father's Day / For A Man. And one of the cards I was asked for was a card for a dad who likes holidays and weekends away........bit tricky to start with until I was looking through all my stash and came across the Travel Smash Book journalling sheet......so I cut out the suitcase and shortened the note part.....and used the LOTV tickets and sentiments....and the Clearly Besotted Going Places set for the train and sentiments.....some sticky tags that I've had for ages and twine completed the card. Once again, I have used my Distress Inks for the stamping: Antique Linen, Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage and Frayed Burlap.

I would love the enter:

Clearly Besotted challenge - Anything Goes (again!)

Creative Belli - Father's Day

Simon Says Stamp - Transport (train on the background)

Papertake Weekly - Hello Boys

Dino-Mite Dad

I've been using these cute little Clearly Besotted Dinosaurs again, this time for a Father's Day card.  I've coloured him with my Distress Inks (and it's one of the latter ones so I'm happier with the colouring on this one!!) - Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage and a tiny bit of Worn Lipstick for his tongue. 

The papers are Papermania Birdsong, with a little bit of scrim over that and the white background.  The Dinosaur's background has been embossed with a Sizzix plate and the chipboard hexagons are from the Basic Grey set I've had for ages. 

The Dino-mite sentiment is also from the Clearly Besotted set and has been stamped in Peeled Paint DI, with a little gloss on that and the die cut letters.

I would like to enter the Clearly Besotted challenge (and try to remember, this time, to put GD in the title so that I can be considered as a guest designer....how amazing would that be?!!).

Anyways, off to the information session for Euan starting Primary 1!  Have a good day.

Susie x

Euan's Birthday Card

Can't quite believe that my wee boy has turned 5, but he has! On the day, he had lots of fun with his archery set, some cars and his Olympics DS game, had a Greggs sausage roll, a birthday haircut and was suitably excited about his first ever party!!

He had advised me that he wanted dinosaurs on his birthday card and that it was to be "a standy-up one"!  Just as well he said as I wouldn't have chosen dinosaurs for him - probably transport or pirates!  So, I tested out my new Distress Inks (in Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint and Faded Jeans) on the rather cute Clearly Besotted Dino-mite stamps and enjoyed some painting.....it was great fun but I was sadly out of practice!

I've used the fab Freshly Made Sketches layout for the top part of the easel card, using a variety of papers, a bit of twine and a little gloss.

The bottom part of the easel card uses sentiments from the dinosaur set and chipboard letters from the Basic Grey set I've had for ages and were perfect for propping the easel part up, and another dinosaur (this was the first and, therefore, the worst coloured one!!)

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches - sketch

Clearly Besotted - Anything Goes

Prairie Scene

I decided that I would like to try something different, so I inked up my Inkylicious Prairie stamp with Antique Linen Distress Ink and added some darker Frayed Burlap to the lower part of the stamp. I rather liked the simple effect!

I inked the edges with the Antique Linen, layered onto white, then some cream Prima paper. I added some Platinum and Stardust Stickles to the image here and there. There is a Clearly Besotted butterfly, Cheery Lynn Vines and Memory Box Hibiscus added. And the sentiment is from the Clearly Besotted Just For You set- love it!

I would like enter the following challenges:

Crafting When We Can- punches and/or die cuts

Stampin For the Weekend - Monochrome

Totally Papercrafts- Anything Goes

And I loved the card so much that I decided to make a second using Worn Lipstick and Brick Red DIs.