What a Pallarver

Well, that's the Scotland part of the holiday done.  Had to be cut short by a day as an elderly family member has been admitted into hospital, not too bad, losing the one day, but it was the hottest day of the year and a 4 1/2 hour drive in incar temps of 29 degrees celcius is not pleasant.  Anyway, good news is Grandad is doing ok, it does appear to be a stroke, but he's managed 95 years so far, I reckon he's got a good few left in him yet.

There is, however, further excitement, and I can't reveal it as yet but as soon as I can I shall post some pics.

Here a few holiday snaps to keep you going.

Sadly NOT where we stayed

Waterfall/Mill Race at Glenluce

View from the cottage we did stay at

Glenluce Abbey

Glenluce Abbey



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Happy Birthday to a Very Special Lady

This card is for a very special friend of mine, she is a wonderful lady and has battled hard against the dreaded "C" word over the past few years.  I can truly say I am proud to know her and call her my Twitter Mom.

I made it using the Black and Silver from Create and Craft, this kit is about 3 years old now and does only come out for "special" cards as I totally love it, the black card is just yummy, and the silver foil on the diecut sections for decoupage really pops.

Hoping you have a special day my friend.



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Spots and Stripes

Whoopie it's Friday!!!!!  That can only mean one thing a new challenge at Emergency Crafters, follow the link on your left to the blog to enter.  This week's theme is Spots and Stripes and below is my card for it.  You have time as submissions close at Noon (GMT) on Wednesday 23rd May.



I am also hoping you like the changes I have been making GRADUALLY to the blog and it's layout, and now I have my new camera you will see improvements in my pics as well.

Thanks for dropping by.



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Have a Whopper of a Birthday

Now as a few of you may know, for last year's NEC a small group of dedicated Create and Craft fans decided to show their appreciation of a certain presenter of the channel, namely Martyn Parker.  Now he is not a crafter and has never purported to be one, however, the rapport he has with the demonstrators and the cheeky boy style he has endeared him somewhat to our hearts.  Thus a group known as OUPSS (The Official, Unofficial Parker Stalker Society)was born.  It was named such so that his most favourite catchphrase could be incorporated into the group's name. 

There has been rumour that a blog for this group exists, but has been quiet for some time.  I have inside information however, that once the insidious perpetrators of the rumour have been found and trained in IT, it will once again spring into life.

I digress.

Well the card below was made for said presenter as he is celebrating a milestone birthday today, and, as he had the good grace not to mention my age on air when wishing me happy returns of the day, I shall thusly return the favour.

In truth anyone who watches the channel will know anyway.

Martyn is a keen fisherman which is why I used this decoupage image from La Pashe/Just Inklined for the main image.  It was matted and layered using co-ordinating cardstock and mounted onto a 6X6 scalloped card blank.

Well have a ver Happy 50th Martyn and I hope you enjoyed the Grand Prix



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DC & Marvel

The two cards below have been made using the DC & Marvel Comic kits from Hobby Habit and Create and Craft. Sadly it would appear that these didn't grab the "average" crafter's eye and they have not, as far as I am aware, released anymore, which for me, really is a shame!  My husband runs a Model Club the Film and Television Model Club who are celebrating their 20th anniversary in September of this year, the Publication Drone, which is their magazine, is the longest running of it's type in the world (we believe). 

Many Dronettes are massive comic book fans and with all the movie tie-ins over the past two or three years, I assumed it would walk.  Sadly that does not appear to be the case, however, I did manage to get several of each of the kits and have made the cards below for Dronettes birthdays. 

For the penguin card, I added a wall decal for the main image and think putting it on the blue acetate really lift's the image.

I hope you like the cards, and I hope there are more people around who don't want the main stream teddies and flowers, but like the odd and off the wall too.



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Bold and Bright

Here is the card I made for this week's challenge at Emergency Crafters, please click the link on the left to take part the challenge closes at Noon (GMT) on Wednesday 9th May.

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Now a teenager

There comes a time in every parent's life when that dreaded suffix arrives at the end of your children's ages.  TEEN, my two are at the other end of the spectrum and one will no longer be a teenager after her next birthday.

For this card, i used a image I have had for about two years, but never really been able to do it justice with my colouring, but since I switched to a combination of pro and flex markers thought I'd give her another go.  I was very pleased with the way she turned out, I decided to make a card for a new teen with her.

As I said I used a combination ofpro and flex markers then distress inks around the image so she does actually look like she's out at night.  I the worked on the tag and doilie.  I used a combination of cosmic shimmer mists and glimmer mists to get the colour combo I wanted.  On the tag I then embossed a swirl using cosmic shimmer embossing powders, again all things that have loitered in my stash for up to 5 years, so all nicely matured now.

I then used an 8X8 sheet from DCWV fairy tales book to mount everything onto, but as it's for a girl, there was a legal requirement of glitter needed to be fulfilled, so I used some self ahdesive glitter borders and of course glitterey peel off numbers.

I then used a papermania paper for the base, and used a Kanban sentiment topper and butterfly for the stoppers.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Pile it on - Fantasy/Fairytales

The Squirrel and the Fox - for the girls

Passion For Promarkers - Special Birthdays


Haunted Design House - Gothic Makeover

House of Gilli - Emboss

Craft Room Challenge - Emboss it

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I should stop getting ideas

Well, I should, I should also stop watching TV as most of my stupid isdeas come from there!  This Tag is no exception.  I was watching the queen of the brayer, Barbara Gray in her usual Sunday slot this morning, and she did a technique with bubble wrap.  Well having a model builder in the house, there is always some luing around.  Now I'm not a complete fool, we just don't know which bit is missing, so I thought I would start small, and do a Tag.

I inked up the buble wrap with versamark and blobbed it around the tag randomly, I then used Adirondak dye based inks, stonewashed and red pepper to brayer over. This left the bubbles in white as per resist techniques, I then spritzed cosmic shimmer and glimmer mists randomly ito a plastic box lid and "dunked" the bubblewrap in that then used that to over stamp the brayered work.  I then used cosmic shimmer as a gentle mist over the top of the lot.

I then got out my Icons of London stamps from Clarity Stamp and stamped them in Adirondak Archival black around the tag.  I did a few buses and a few phone boxes, coz there are more than one of each in London!

Hope you like it.

I would like to enter this tag into the following challenges

Just Keep on Creating - Travel

Fashionable Stamping - Cities of the World

Speedy and Friends - use 3 of Something

ATC's and cards with attitude - one layer





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Hearts and Flowers

This card came about purely because I decided it was high time I played with my new Fliiterglue from Indigo Blu, hence I was messing about with it and guilding flakes.  I stamped the image (also from Indigo Blu) onto black card and covered in guilding flakes.  When dried i really liked what had turned out so I found one of those prediecut aperture crads, youknow the ones, the ones you buy when new to cardmaking, use once and have a stack left, well yeah those.  I used the heart aperture to frame the heart stamp, and then mounted this onto a 5X5 cardblank that I had covered in black card and punched the lattice work using a Martha Stewart punch.  I then added the flowers to give it more romantic feel.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

willow Sketchie - Dies and Punches

Sassy Studio - add a frame

Scarp it with a song - I will always Love You



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Fashionable Birthday

For this card I began with a Craftwork Cards 8X8 backing paper in a dusky rose, I picked the fashion theme as most girlies have an interest in clothes.  I also went for ppink and black as my Monochromatic theme as black and white is so passe.  I made the black tag by laying a tag over it and cutting round the black card.  I added to this an image from a scraps collection, I then added ribbon and a button.  I had some tickets that are ancient train tickets (long story, but I have), these I layered behind the tag to give the illusion they were tickets for a fashion show! Ahhh I hear you all say now!  I distressed everything down with Black Soot Distress inks and layered the card up.

I then went lookinh High and low for the image I knew I had for the focalpoint, took a while, but it was in black and white so I used Milled lavender to tie it in withthe colour scheme.  It's a Kanban Image if you're wondering.  I then added a Kanban sentiment. et voila! as they say somewhere or other.

I am entering this card for the following challenges:

365 card challenge - my favourite thing

Polkadoodles - De-stress/distress

Divas By Design - Monochromatic

Crafts and Me - Favourite Colpour Combo

LOTV - Anything Goes



Wags n Whiskers - Distressing

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A Bag Full Of Love

For this card I used an A6 card blank and ran it through a Cuttlebug "script" embossing folder. I then placed a Tatty Teddy Image onto some embossed silver card and positioned this on the card blank.  Finally I added a sentiment.



I would like to enter this card int o the following challenges:

Glitter Geeks - Teddy Bear

Crop stop - Embossing

My Mum's Crafty Shop - Embossing

Craft Room Challenge - Embossing

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Shopping our Stash - For mum or Anything Girly

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Feeling"Ruff"

For this card I decided to make a get well card for a dog lover, corny sentiment on it I know, but the old gags are still most often the best gags.

I used a digi image from Inklined for the main part, coloured this with a combination of pro and flexmarkers, you will notice a theme when it comes to my colouring these days, firstly it has no connection to the euphamism used in Sex & The City, secondly I always combine the two pen types as this gives me a better result.  I'm not saying it's the way to use the pens, I am just stating that it works for me.

I the cut out the image using Spellbinders labels something (I'm sure Sue Wilson would be able to tell which ones they are), which as we all know when run through again with a tan mat they emboss as well, which is exactly what I did.  I then used the same labels to cut the matts and layered the image up.  Then I backed an A5 card blank with the poorly (look at them, they are green!) looking dogs and then mounted the image on.  I had the sentiment in a bone shape from a magazine (Making Cards, the backing paper is also from there) and mounted this onto a piece of card to make it more sturdy then I cut round the bone shape.

I would like to enter this card in to the following Challenges:

365 Cards - Tuesday Trio

Craft Room Challenge - Emboss it



Passion for Promarkers - Bright and Light

Creative Belli - Animals

Can anyone tell I've found the Macro setting on my new camera?

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To Have and To Hold

Well summer is rapidly approaching, or so they keep telling me, and that means one thing, Spring and Summer Weddings.

I ceated this card from a 6X6 backing paper, very old style Spellbinders cutting and embossing dies, I used a Mariane design border die on the Shabby Chic paper (it was actually a scrap of a 12X12 sheet), I had the KanBan rose medallion from a sheet of diecut decoupage I had used and "married" them together into this simple wedding card.  Hope you like it.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Mishelflo Monthly Challenges - Celebration

Crafters Companion - Here Comes Summer

LEJ Designs - Anything Goes

365 Cards - Layered

Lollipop Crfats - Anything Goes

Fashionista Challenge - Wedding

Crafty Boots - Yellow

Oldie but Goodie - Punches and Dies (spellbinders bride and groom dies)

Deep Ocean - Punches and dies



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