28 February 2013

You brighten my day!

Hi everyone I hope you are all well and your week is going okay so far.  Good thing is its not long till the weekend and this Saturday the kiddies are going to nanny's so will be spoilt rotten and we will have the day to ourselves to do whatever we please.  Question is do we stay at home and cosy up with a takeaway, bottle of plonk and a movie or do we go see a film at the cinema and have a meal out, choices choices.  Personally I'm leaning towards a blend of the two; go out for the matinee showing at the cinema and come home and cosy up and a takeaway for the evening and that way I get to craft in the morning too before we head out (you see I've got it all planned you knew I'd have to get a bit of craft in there somewhere!!!!).
 
Anyway, enough of the waffling, I've come on to show you my card so here it is.  Not happy with this one I'm afraid and the thing is I can't actually pin point what I don't really like its just not right, now how daft is that.  I love the image I think its adorable and so pretty and girly and I so enjoyed colouring her up but from them on it just sort of went pear shaped.  I kept moving things around on my card base, trying this and that and then got up and left it because I was so frustrated.  Went back to it the next morning and still shuffled things around and this is what I ended up with, perhaps its the layout or maybe the kraft I don't know.
 
Image:  Wee stamps 'Spring Bringer'
Medium:  Promarkers/copics
Papers:  First Edition 'Spring Drop'
Flowers:  Wild Orchid Crafts
Corners:  Whimsy die

Promarkers used:  Artic Blue, Sky blue, Glacier blue (flexmarker)
Copics used:  RV000, RV02, RV17
YG11, YG13, YG67
E31, E33, E35, E37
Y11, Y15
 
 
Challenges I would like to enter:
 
 
 
 
Okay thats me done for today, I'm off now to do some chores I'll be back soon and hope to catch up with you all at some point today.
 
Hope you all have a good day and take care.
 
Ann-Marie
xxx
 
 

24 February 2013

Stamp Galazy 50% refurb sale!!!

Hi folks just a quick heads up, if anyone uses Copics pens Stamp Galaxy is having a 50% refurb sale so everything is half price including copics, so go fill your baskets I just have!!!!!  Need to put in coupon code REFURB50.
 
Take care,
Ann-Marie
xxx

Summer Flower Tilda

Hi everyone I've got a little time to jump on here and show you my finished card as hubby's just come in from work and the kiddies are catching up with him.  Anyway, I treated myself to this Tilda last week as I've been wanting her for a while as well as the Spellbinders frame.  I was after the floral ovals set but that seems to be sold out in most places so I went for the fleur de lis rectangles and they are very pretty.
 
 
She's been coloured with promarkers for the most part and I used the fine nib attachment to get in the small places and I must say its fab for detail.  I did liquid pearl dots around the image and whilst still wet sprinkled with glamour dust and I think it looks really pretty.  The diecut message butterfly I found lurking in my old stash. 

Promarkers
Dress:  almond, pale pink, dusky rose
Wings:  pastel green, soft green
Hair:  copics E43, E47, E49

Papers:  First Edition 'Summer Breeze'
Dies:  Magnolia doohickey, spellbinders 'fleur de lis' rectangles
Flowers:  Wild Orchid Crafts & pearl brad
 
Challenges I would like to enter:
 
 
 
 
Okay my time is up now folks, I think the kiddies have finished talking ten to the dozen at their dad and believe me they had a lot to say so I think his head is probably spinning and its time for me to dish up a late dinner.
 
Its going to seem quiet tomorrow as they are both back at school after half term break but I have a topsy turvy house to clean so I'm sure that will keep me occupied, that is until I take a coffee break and head into my craft room he he!!!!
 
I hope you are all enjoying your weekend, take care and happy crafting.
 
Ann-Marie
xxx
 

22 February 2013

Picking Lilacs

Hello everyone wishing you all a very happy Thursday from a rather chilly craft room.  We've had rather a busy day today with one thing and another and family visiting so its now late and gone 1 a.m. (so technically its a happy Friday to you) and I turned the heating off when everyone went to bed so now its a tad cold and my fingers don't want to type so if you see any odd spelling or words you know why!!!! 
 
Anyway before I climb the wooden hill to bedfordshire I thought I would share with you a card I managed to finish over the last few days.  My back is slowly on the mend but I find it hard to sit for any great length of time and add to that half term week it took a bit longer to finish than normal.
 
Image - Magnolia
Medium - Copics/Promarkers
Papers - Prima 'Meadow Lark'
Flowers - Wild Orchid Crafts
Dies - Nellie's corner, Marianne Design trailing ivy
 
I used a couple of my older Magnolia stamps and masked them together and love how it turned out.  All coloured with copics apart from the hair for which I used promarkers with the fine nib attachment. 

Skin: E00, E000, E11, R20, R81
Dress/Shoes:  V000, V12, V15, V17
Socks:  E50, E53
Hair/Basket:  Promarkers Walnut, Cocoa, Caramel
Fence:  W1, W3, W5, W7
Flowers:  RV02, RV17, RV19, R39
Grass/Leaves:  YG11, YG13, YG67
 
A closer look at the image.  I also added some pink stickles to the lilacs but not sure you can pick it up in the photo.


 
Lastly a side view to show the depth of the flowers which have all been dusted with Glamour Dust and look so pretty.
 
Challenges I would like to enter:-
 
 
 
 
Okay so I'm trying to make these fingers of mine type the last few words but now I'm dropping off to sleep at the same time never a good combination so time to bid you goodnight I think.  I'm hoping for a little lay in tomorrow as the kiddies were very late to bed as they were out playing on the trampolene in the dark.  Yes you heard right IN THE DARK.  My sister dropped in for a visit today laden with glow bands which the kiddies just love and had this great idea of using them outside in the dark so all I could see from the kitchen window were this glowing rings and sticks bopping up and down at the bottom of the garden!!!!
 
Take care everyone and catch up with you soon.
 
Ann-Marie
xxx 
 
 

15 February 2013

50th Anniversary bookatrix

Well hello to everyone, wishing you a happy Friday from my neck of the woods.  Sorry I have been missing for more than a few days but I ended up in A & E last Tuesday evening.  I won't bore you with all the details but lets just say mopping the kitchen floor can be a dangerous affair especially when your back goes and you cannot move.  The cocktail of painkillers they have given me is working and I am at least mobile now and last night I actually managed to make it into my craft room and sit long enough to finish a card.  I never knew back pain could be so painful honestly giving birth would be preferable to that!
 
Anyway, swiftly moving on from my woes I hope you are all well and have managed to enjoy some crafty time this week.   This is the second card I had rolling around my head for the 50th wedding anniversary I was asked to do.  I made a bookatrix card and I thought I would go quite blingy with this one with all the gold and pearls.
 
 
Lots of gold card used and its a great way of using up all my old peeloffs.  The patterned card is actually DCWV The Luxury Stack and its gorgeous great for special occasions.  Lots of pearls and ribbon roses used from stash.
 
 
This picture shows the depth of the card and you can just about see the little book on the right which actually opens so you can write a message.
 
Challenges I would like to enter
 
 
 
 
 
I'm hoping to do a little crafting today so hopefully will be back soon with something to show you.  I hope you all have a great weekend and sneak in a little craftiness.
 
Take care.
Ann-Marie
xxx

5 February 2013

The Golden Touch

Hi everyone just a fleeting visit today.  I have been asked to make a 50th wedding anniversary card and this is the first of a few I have rolling around in my head.  I couldn't decide whether to go clean and simple or fussy so I'm doing both and will let the lady decide which she would prefer.
 
 
So this is the first one finished and I went for the clean and simple look with this one.  This is quite a large card for me its an 8 x 8 but I think it works.  I used my Nellie's multi frame dies to make the layered heart and used some old 'congratulation' peel offs to frame the largest heart.  The diamonte buckle is something I had floating around in my stash which had tarnished but it goes pretty well. 

 
From the side you can see the layered heart better.  All in all I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.
 
Challenges I would like to enter:-
 
 
 
 
 
Okay dashing off now.  My youngest's home learning this week is all about the classic kiddies stories like Little Red Riding Hood or Billy Goats Gruff etc.  Well she has chosen Jack and the Beanstalk and she has to make something related to this to take in.  I'm not going down the paper mache route this time but you can guarantee when she gets home she won't want to make something simple so I'm off to raid my crafty stash and prepare for operation beanstalk at 3.30 today!
 
Take care folks and happy crafting
 
Ann-Marie
xxxx