MaskIng Challenge and Blog Hop at AnythIng Goes

HI everyone, It's a very excItIng day over at AnythIng Goes! Today we are celebratIng AnythIng Goes' 1st bIrthday and The Craft Den's 3rd bIrthday so a bIg happy bIrthday to Lynne!

We thought we'd celebrate by havIng our very fIrst blog hop and Lynne Is havIng a mega sale at The Craft Den!

How do you play?

All you have to do Is vIsIt each of the DesIgn Team members' blogs, leave a comment, collect 1 or 2 hIdden letters and unscramble them to uncover a 2 worded phrase. Then return back to the AnythIng Goes blog and leave a comment wIth the correct answer. All correct answers wIll be entered Into a draw to wIn a prIze of craftIng goodIes from the Craft Den. WInners wIll be announced on Tuesday 14th June.

So what's the order of the blogs I need to vIsIt?

AnnIe

Cheryl

Deb

Kathryn

Katy

Leesa

Lynne- Lynne's PC is not working so Lynne's letter is "b"

Sandra

Steph- that's me!

Val

Tamara

So you need to vIsIt Val next!

As an added bonus, the DesIgn Team also have IndIvIdual blog candy to gIve away so you really are spoIled!

DON'T FORGET THE CHALLENGE THIS WEEK!

Don't forget we have our usual challenge too! ThIs week the challenge Is "maskIng". As an added bonus, If you enter a project Into the challenge, you wIll get entered Into the draw twIce!

I chose to use 3 Forever FrIends stamps. I masked out the central bear In order to stamp the 2 bears behInd. I coloured wIth watercolour pencIls and outlIned with copIcs. Papers are by AmerIcan Crafts and were used to paper pIece as well as for background papers. Do you love my new DIe-namIcs banner dIe and stamp set from MFT?! Cute, huh?!

Here Is a pIc showIng you how I dId the maskIng.

Usual close up!

And another so you can see the banner a bIt better. I used some Baker's TwIne purchased for the purpose of the tIes!

Don't forget that you can buy your Forever FrIends stash from Lynne at The Craft Den!

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Forever FrIends; MFT); Watercolour pencIls; CopIcs; Assorted cardstock; Papers (AmerIcan Crafts); Dies (MFT); Baker's twine; Buttons & thread

And fInally here Is a pIc of my blog candy. Up for grabs Is an amazIng SIzzIx texture plates kIt! Not only that but over 40 sheets of 6 x 6" desIgner paper and some assorted chIpboard shapes. And my card! All you have to do Is to wIn my candy Is to leave a comment (whIch you wIll already have done If you want to wIn the maIn prIze), then advertIse my candy on your blog and become one of my followers. The wInner wIll be drawn randomly and announced on Tuesday 14th June.

Hope you have fun enterIng our challenge (don't forget, double entry Into the maIn draw If you do!) Good luck! x

Sleigh bells ring...

Hi. Hope you're all enjoying your week. We're a bit stunned really in the Honey Boo household. Mum saw the oncologist on Monday and he has ceased all her chemotherapy! We were originally told she would have 6-8 cycles of chemo but the consultant told us yesterday (we only saw his registrar last time) that he'd only ever had her down for 4 cycles (as usual we were fed misinformation!!). Because she'd had 3 infusions, he said it was too risky for Mum to have a fourth cycle because they think it was the chemo that had caused the mini stroke she had. Also because the chemo is "belt and braces" and she will be monitored closely with scans, he felt the benefits of having a fourth would definately not be great enough because the surgery she had should be curative. It's a very strange feeling to be presented with. We all feel a bit numb really. Obviously this is fantastic news but it's weird cos we'd all psyched ourselves up for another 3-4 months of stress but now it's finally over. We've had 2 and a half years of hell what with my Dad and then my Mum getting sick so quickly afterwards and now we're at the end of it. We can try to get some normality into our lives. We all feel a bit strange...

Anyway, onto a card! Yay- I've now made 9 Christmas cards!!! Am v pleased with myself!!

I used this gorgeous PSX image and coloured with copics. I added some Stickles to the flowers and Glossy Accents to the bell. Papers are by Basic Grey- I love this pad alot!! I'm so getting use out of my Magnolia poinsettia die too. The other swirl is a Boss-Kut die I got off Ebay.

I'd like to enter this into:

Winter Wonderland- P is for....poinsettia! (on paper, image and diecut)

My time to craft- use a die cut

Pollycraft- embellie bingo (used lace, buttons, flowers)

Die Cut Dreams- sketch (I flipped it upside down)

Spoonful of Sugar- something with wings (birdies)

Usual close- up. Such a great image to colour!

Crafty stash used: Stamps (PSX, Waltzing Mouse); Papers (Basic Grey); Assorted cardstock; Copics; Stickles; Glossy Accents; Buttons; Paper lace; Boss Kut die; Poinsettia die (Magnolia); Gold beads (Art Institute)

Summer days

Hi guys. Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. It's bright and sunny here in Essex today. Just wanted to post a quick card I made yesterday.

This stamp "Doggyinmybagabella" was in my latest purchase from Stamping Bella and I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to do gingham shorts!!! I did some paper piecing on her outfit and her cute tote bag. Doesn't she look ready for a day at the beach? As ever coloured with mixture of watercolour and lyra pencils and outlined in copic. Did some sponged ink in the background. Papers are from Stampin Up and Making Memories.

I'd like to enter into:

A spoonful of Sugar-anything goes

Creative Card Crew- cute and girly

Stampavie- Summer

Truly Scrumptious- anything goes

Crafty Catz- anything goes

Stamp Something- beachy colours

Allsorts- photo inspiration

Sketch Saturday- sketch

Creative Corner- frame- does my chipboard corner frame count?

Usual close up! How cute does she look? Wish I looked that good on the beach!!

Have fun! xx

Crafty stash used: Stamp (Stamping Bella); Watercolour pencils; Lyra pencils; Copics; Papers (Stampin Up, Making Memories); Buttons (Walmart); Sentiment (Papermania); Chipboard frame (Papermania); Kraft cardstock; Gems (K & Co)

Life in bloom

Hi everyone! Hope you're all having a fun crafty week.

Thanks so much for all your lovely comments about my Mum. She's doing OK. We had to go to the stroke clinic yesterday. They think it was a mini stroke but have no firm evidence that it was so we really are no further on. She had a test to look at the blood flow in her neck and then a head CT. I found it quite stressful as he mentioned checking for the cancer spreading to my Mum's brain and my Dad passed from a brain tumour so it was a pretty awful day. At first glance, he said he couldn't see anything so we have to wait to see what the oncologist says on Monday and whether it could possibly have been a reaction to the chemo infusion or whether he agrees that it could have been a stroke. Unfortunately I think the build up of stress over the last week has caused my CFS to flare up again which I could really do without so I'm feeling rotten today.

To cheer myself up, I've ordered a host of crafty goodness (see below) which arrived today so I can at least stroke my new stuff!!!.....

Anyway earlier in the week I did manage to make this card. My sis asked me to make a card for her partner's Grandma's birthday. I chose this gorgeous summery PSX image. I coloured with mixture of lyra and watercolours. Papers are by MME and Heidi Grace designs. Sentiment is Papertrey Ink. I used Kraft stock to mount the sentiment and cut out the leaves using a Boss-Kut die. Do you like the cute little sunflower charm? My sis found a little gardening charm set on her travels with work.

I'd like to enter this into:

Cupcake Craft- in the garden

Papertake Weekly- bloom and grow

Stampavie- summer

Sweet Sketch Wednesday- sketch

Truly Scrumptions- anything goes

Crafty Catz- anything goes

Crafty stash used: Stamps (PSX, Papertrey Ink); Watercolour pencils; Lyra pencils; Copics; Assorted cardstock; Papers (Heidi Grace, MME); Nesties; Button and thread; Boss Kut die; charm; ribbon; mini tag (Lakeland)

Here is a piccie of my latest new crafty stash. All this stress is severely playing havoc with my finances. In the last 2 years, I've learnt the meaning of retail therapy in a big way!! I also bought the hugest stash of October Afternoon papers which you'll be seeing soon! Uhhh, plus today I'll be doing a big order of Papertrey Ink stash that my hubbie can pick up whilst he's working in the States in the next couple of weeks.

Finally, on the theme of gorgeous blooms, I thought I'd share this piccie I took this morning of this gorgeous rose called Noble Antony that we have in our garden. It has the sweetest smell I've ever encountered. My sis and I bought this variety of rose for my Mum after my Dad passed away as my Dad was called Tony. My Mum and Dad absolutely adore/d roses. It's quite an unusual variety and I had to order it over the internet. Then the other week in my local garden centre just around the corner from our house, I noticed it!!! I got one for me and my sis. I like to think it was a sign from Dad that wherever we are (we moved house since my Dad passed away), my Dad is saying he's always with us. Isn't it beautiful?

Hope you have a fun and restful week x

Anyone for bingo?

Hi everyone! Hope you're all having a good week. I've had an awful few days so this post nearly didn't make it! Spent 7 hours in A&E with my Mum on Friday night eventually getting home at 2.30am! Doctors think she either had a bad reaction to her chemo infusion on Friday and/or she had a mini stroke. She's had to come off all her chemo til she sees the oncologist on Monday and we are awaiting an appointment at the mini stroke clinic. I've had to watch her like a hawk over the last few days. I've not really slept that well and am exhausted.

Anyhow, enough of my doom and gloom... and onto some cards.....

The challenge over at Anything Goes this fortnight is to use our Bingo Board and I made a card for my friend's little girl who will be 1. I loved this challenge- such a fab idea and really challenging cos I wanted to use little extras which meant I'd filled up an extra 1 or 2 boxes!! I decided to go straight across the middle of the board and used buttons, flowers and charms.

Image is of course Magnolia- such a cutie. I coloured her with lyra and watercolour pencils and added copious amounts of Stickles!! Papers are by Papermania. I added some lovely gold embossed swirls around the edges of the card (I was going to use a Sizzix swirl, then realised I couldn't!!) I made the flowers using my Die-namics die.

Hope you will join us in the challenge this week, it's such a fun one and have a look at the rest of the DT's work- it's AMAZING this week!! Such a group of talented ladies and we've all got a different style which makes it so much more interesting to look at!!

Don't forget you can buy your Magnolias and lots of other crafting goodness from The Craft Den!

I'd like to enter this into:

Stamp with fun- green and pink

Sentimental Sundays- handmade flowers

Cutie Sunday- butterflies

Daring Cardmakers- darlin' bugs of May

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Magnolia, Stamping Bella, Inkadinkado); Papers (Papermania); Assorted cardstock; Lyra and watercolour pencils; Copics; Charm; Sewing machine; button; felt; Die-namics die; Leaf (Prima)

I made this for the challenge over at Stamping Bella which this week is a sketch. I used Barbella for a friend's birthday card. She's a gym bunny so I thought it was rather apt. I coloured with watercolour and lyra pencils. As you can see the sketch was quite simple so I kept the image quite simple by just adding some coloured pearls. Sentiment is Papertrey Ink and Paper by My Mind's Eye.

I'd like to enter this for:

Bellarific Friday- sketch

Stamp Something- anything goes

Usual close up! I coloured her outfit to look like Adidas stuff!

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Stamping Bella, Papertrey Ink); Watercolour pencils; Lyra pencils; Copics; Paper (MME); Assorted cardstock; Pearls; Ribbon

Baby bundle

Halloooo! Just a quick post today. My back is a bit better today so I felt up to some crafting. I'm waiting to hear back from the hospital today to see when I can get an x-ray so I'm hoping we'll find out what's wrong soon cos it's getting to be a major pain (literally!)

I made this card for a friend of our's who's just had a little baby boy. They live in Canada now so I want to get it off in the post sharpish!!

I picked this gorgeous hedgie naptime stamp from Penny Black and when I saw that the challenge over at Penny Black at Allsorts was to do an unusual shaped card, I knew instantly what I wanted to do- the problem was just working out how to do it to ensure the whole thing didn't collapse!! I'm really pleased with how it turned out- do you likey?!

Image is coloured with watercolour and lyra pencils and a dab of copics on the daisies. I cut round the image using my decoupage scissors and craft knife in the tricky bits. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink.

The bottom part of the image is sandwiched between two pieces of cardstock to make up the sentiment to give strength both to the sentiment and image really.

Wheeeeee!

A little close up!

I'd like to enter this into:

Penny Black at Allsorts- shape up

Pollycraft- boys to men

Crafty Creations- anything goes

Simon Says- look what the stork brought

Crazy 4 Challenges- flowers

Divas by Design- anything goes

Fuzzy Wuzzy Challenges- babies & animals

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Penny Black, Papertrey Ink); Watercolour pencils; Lyra pencils; Copics; Paper (Papermania); Assorted cardstock; Flowers; Buttons; Stickles

Some cards and craft room developments

Hi all. Hope you're all good. I've got really bad back pain today so am not in the mood for crafting- shock horror! Thought I'd give you an update on my updated craft room which I keep banging on about showing you! Well.......errrrr...... you won't be seeing the updated look any time soon as it will soon be undergoing another update so thought I might as well wait and show you it finished!! I promise this was all my husband's idea but who am I to say no??! So my craft room was the smallest bedroom of the house but it actually had an ensuite. There are a few problems with the toilet, the shower leaks and the floor tiles are dodgy so we were going to have to fix all of those issues. So hubbie decided rather than fix them and the ensuite not be used anyway (I don't get THAT glittery when I'm crafting!!), why not get rid of the ensuite and give more crafty space to me?!!! So yay, I'm adding to my crafty space. I'm thinking of having a stamping area... my mind is going in overdrive !!!!

Onto cards.....

First up is a card I've made for a friend who is an events organiser- I thought Execubella was the perfect image! As usual coloured with mixture of lyra and watercolour pencils and outlined in a warm copic. This gorgeous paper is American Crafts. Don't you love that ribbon in the corner?!! It's from the freebie stash I got from my big (!) order to Stamping Bella. I've never seen it before- it's kinda rubber like. I stuck it with a spray glue but I love it.

I'd like to enter this for:

Sentimental Sundays- anything goes plus a sentiment

Crafty Pad- spots n dots (dotty ribbon)

Crazy 4 Challenges- flowers

Creative Inspirations- bling n glitz (hot fix crystals, say it in studs, gem)

Secret Crafter- neglected stash (haven't use this paper for yonks!)

Paperplay Challenges- show us your style (if Stamping Bella isn't my style, I don't know what is!!)

C.R.A.F.T- sketch

A close up!

An even closer look at my colouring!!

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Stamping Bella); Lyra pencils; Watercolour pencils; Copics; Paper (American Crafts); Assorted cardstock; Nesties; Flower; Say it in studs; Gem; Hot fix crystals; Ribbon (stamping Bella); Brad (Poppicrafts)

Next up is another Christmas card! I know it feels wierd posting a Christmas card now the weather is so gorgeous and sunny but I'm on a mission!! I've used Christmatini from Stamping Bella. I love the 'tinis, I think I have them all! I used my usual colouring mediums with a bit of sponged inking in the background. The sentiment is Hero Arts. Papers are by Stampin Up I won in blog candy from Michelle- thanks Michelle! I added some Kraft cardstock stars and a bit of glittery trim.

I'd like to enter this into:

Bellarific Friday- kraft cardstock

Winter Wonderland- colours of Christmas

Creative Inspirations- bling and glitz

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Stamping Bella; Hero Arts); Watercolour pencils; Lyra pencils; Copics; Papers (Stampin Up); Assorted cardstock; Nesties; Trim (freebie); Gems

It's a cupcake thing!

Hi all. I hope you're all doing well and enjoying some crafty time this week. I'm enjoying plenty of crafting time at the mo which is so lovely, I'm steaming through my cards for the year! I've finally finished my new look craft room so I'm hoping to post piccies next week. I can't wait to show you as I've put alot of effort into creating my dream crafting space which is both inspirational and practical to me. Can't wait to show you!!!

Anyway onto a card I did yesterday for my Mum's birthday. It's not for ages yet but with my new craft organizer, I can easily do some long term card planning! :0)

As you might have noticed, I'm not really into pastels but as soon as I saw this image, it brought to mind fifties kitch and, of course, gingham so I ended up doing a pastel card. I really like it though. Papers are by MME. It's wierd, when I pull out 12 x 12" sheets, half of them are MME!!! I must really love their stuff without realising it cos I tend to go for it alot!! Do you like her paper pieced apron? I had to do it a couple of times to incorporate the baking tools. Also did plenty of stitching cos I thought it suited the kitchy-ness. Is that a word?!

Uhhhh. I hate to have to keep saying this but do click on the picture to see the full colouring goodness!! What is UP with my photos?!! I just can't seem to get them right at the moment!!

I'd like to enter this into:

Cupcake Craft Challenges- something beginning with c- cupcakes!

Kaboodle doodles- embellies beginning with b- buttons!

Pink Elephant- sketch

Pollycraft- anything goes

Stamp with Fun- lace or ribbon

Papertake Weekly- anything goes & optional extra of round- I've used buttons

Papercutz- anything goes

One Stop- in stitches

Crafts 4 eternity- anything goes

Sentimental Sunday- Mum's Day/card for a woman

Dutch Dare- for Mum

Moving along with the times- anything goes

My usual close up!

For a change I thought I'd add a little something to the inside of the card so I decided to use one of the stamps from Stamping Bella's Recipe Icons set. Cute huh?

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Stamping Bella); Watercolour pencils; Lyra pencils; Copics; Assorted cardstock; Papers (MME); Buttons; Pearls; Ribbon (Stamping Bella); Corner embellie (freebie); Sewing machine

Anything Goes Challenge- Home Sweet Home

Hello everyone! Hope those of you in the UK enjoyed your lovely Bank Holiday weekend, we actually had some gorgeous weather again!! So my card today is my first card for the Anything Goes DT! Woo hoo!

The challenge this week is "Home Sweet Home".

I decided to put a bit of a twist on it and do a Christmas card. I thought the sentiment and little house charm (hope you can see it!) would be perfect. Doesn't she look like she's about to head home through the snow?! So I coloured the image with watercolour pencils, added a fair bit of Stickles and sponged the background. Do click on the image for a better look! Those of you with eagle eyes will remember me making a similar card a while back so I thought I'd do a different version of it as I quite liked it! Papers are by Webster's Pages and Crate Paper. I also did some major distressing!

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Magnolia, Waltzing Mouse); Watercolour pencils; Copics; Papers (Webster's Pages, Crate Paper); Tim Holtz distresser; Assorted cardstock; Swirl (Sizzix); Pearls; Button, chain & Ribbon (recycled); Charm (freebie)

Don't forget Lynne has a full range of Magnolias at The Craft Den!

Pop along to the Anything Goes Challenge and see what the Design Team have come up with and why not have a go? Can't wait to see what you come up with!! x