Happy New Year!

Last All Dressed Up Challenge Before Christmas

Hello, sorry I've been AWOL but I had an accident on my bike when it was icy early in the morning on my way to work & have been out of action for over a week, I'm still struggling & can hardly walk & I can't drive (& definitely can't bike, not that I want to at the moment anyway).  I did go back to work this week but it is very tiring.  Anyway on to the challenge, which is Anything Goes as usual (+ an All Dressed Up image).  I haven't been able to do much crafting but I just about managed to colour this gorgeous image called Little Angel & recycled a card I had made a while ago.  I hope you can join us :o)

The challenges:

Winter Wonderland - Add Some Sparkle & Bling 

Crafty Hazelnut - Use Die Cuts or Punches (the tag is a punch)

Sparkle Creations - Anything (Christmas) Goes

Creatalicious - Merry Christmas

Cute Card Thursday - Fairies & Angels

Craft-Dee BowZ - Handmade Bow

Always Playing With Paper - Non-Traditional Christmas Card 

Inky Chicks - Merry Christmas

A Snowflake's Challenge - Winter/Christmas

I wanted to put our Christmas tree/decorations up at the weekend but couldn't, I definitely doing it this weekend but I think Mark (hubby) might be doing most of it - with my guidance of course! ;o)  I hope you're all having a great week xx

A Little Reminder...

There is still time to join in the fun of the All Dressed Up Blog Hop & the chance to win some fabulous images :o)  I little while ago I posted a pic of an elephant I made using one of Wendy's digital images (you can see the post HERE) & I tweaked the pattern a bit & here is the 2nd elephant (It's still a bit lumpy lol but I think elephants are a bit lumpy ;o)  I used an old scarf for his body & some scraps of fabric for the ears.

I hope you're all having a great week.  Thanks for looking xx

All Dressed Up Birthday Blog Hop! (Win, Win, Win) & a Freebie!

At All Dressed Up we are having a Blog Hop to celebrate our 2nd Birthday :o) & there is a wonderful freebie for you all, how cool is that!  There are also 4 gorgeous new Christmas digital images released to day & the lucky DT got to choose which image we wanted to use - not an easy choice cos they are all wonderful but I went with "Christmas Star",  I added lots of sparkle in the shape of glitter card for border, stars & wings & Glamour Dust on large star (well if you can't go ott on sparkle at Christmas when can you lol).  The image was coloured with ProMarkers & I finished off with some ribbon.

If you visit each of the DT's blogs & kindly leave a comment there will be the chance to win the image that they have used :D  How amazing is that - 14 chances in all!  So you need to start at the All Dressed Up challenge blog & visit the DT members in turn.  

So you should have arrived here from our lovely Shelia's blog & last on the list is Vannessa & I'm sure you will get lots of inspiration from her & all the other DT members gorgeous creations. The blog hop will run for a week so there's plenty of time to enter :o)

The challenges:

Unicorn - Christmas is Coming 

Card & Scrap - Christmas

Fan-Tastic Tuesday - Stars 

A Snowflakes Promise - Christmas/Winter

City Crafter - Getting Ready for Christmas

ABC Christmas - V for Very Cute

Fab 'n' Funky - Die Cuts or Punches

Southern Girls - Twine, Tape or Ribbon

Crafty Girls - Anything Goes

I also made a bookmark with the freebie:  I die cut a bookmark shape covered with DP added a bit of ribbon & a cupcake sticker & of course that gorgeous image :o)

Challenges:
Creative Knockouts - Lace, Twine, Ribbon
Sassy Studio -Anything Goes 
Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
Doodle Pantry - Digital
Cutie Pie - Pretty in Pink 
Deep Ocean - Chocolate, Coffee or Tea 
Crafty Addicts - Anything Goes/Use Die Cuts
Cute Card Thursday - Food/Drink

Thanks for looking & I do hope you will join in the Fun :o) xx

Christmas is Coming...

& I really need to get a move on with my Christmas crafting!  Luckily All Dressed Up have some gorgeous Christmas images & I chose "All Dressed Up For Christmas" for my card for the new Anything Goes challenge (using an All Dressed Up image or papers).  I did some paper piecing & added lots of gems to the tree.  The papers were from my stash & I finished off with some Glamour Dust, fabric greeting, bow, die cut poinsettia & brad.  

All Dressed Up is now 2 years old - can you believe that - and to celebrate we are having an extra special Birthday Blog Hop starting on 7th November to coincide with the November New Release.  

Wendy is very kindly giving you all 

a fabulous freebie

(want a sneak peak?.......)

Isn't that exciting :o) I can't wait & I hope you will be able to join the Blog Hop (& the challenge) 

The challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - Sparkles
A Snowflakes Promise - Winter/Christmas
Time Out - Christmas (option of pink/purple)
Winter Wonderland - Anything Christmas 
Crazy for Challenges - Christmas
Crafting for all Seasons - All Dressed Up/Girly
Christmas Cards All Year 'Round - O Christmas Tree
Crafty Hazelnut - Christmas
Crafty Time - Embellish It
Emerald Faeries - Oh Christmas Tree
Allsorts - Christmas

Don't Forget...

to join the latest All Dressed Up "Anything Goes" challenge :o) You do need to use Wendy's fab images or papers BUT don't worry if you haven't got any you will find some fab freebies HERE, so there is no excuse to join in the fun ;o)  (& there is the chance to win 3 images of your choice too!).  I so love making things & mixing and matching crafts & when I made a card with the "Tall Like You" Image I thought I'd try & use the elephant as a pattern for a soft toy or cushion & this is the result.  He is a bit wonky but it came out better than I was expecting (I have tweaked the pattern to make another one & will blog that when it's finished).

Challenges:
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes  
Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes 
Crafting From the Heart - Anything Goes
Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes 
Brown Sugar - Anything Goes
 
If you didn't know there is also an All Dressed Up Facebook group too so we would love to see you there.  I hope you've had a lovely Sunday (though they do tend to go way too quickly lol)

My VERY Favourite Pocket Letters :o)

We all like happy mail & those who read my blog will know that I have recently got into making Pocket Letters (which are a sort of cross between ATC's & scrapbooking...with little goodies included) & you can imagine how excited when I received 3 envelopes in the post addressed to Nanny Tracey.  My 3 adorable grandchildren had all made me a Pocket Letter.  You can see that we are a crafty family & all love art & craft & are always creating something :o) 

This one is Ryan's who is 10

This one is Abigail's who is 7

& this one is Bethany's who is 4

I've nearly finished the ones to send back to them & will post pics when they are finished.  I hope your all having a great Saturday & enjoy the rest of the weekend :o)

Keep Calm & Scare On...

Front

This is a Pocket Letter I made for a Halloween swap.  I used some free printables from the net, papers from my stash & the spiders web with the word shock was from an advert in a magazine.  The skeleton & spider were from Poundland (with lots of other bits & pieces). These are such fun to make & swap :o)

The challenges:

Creatalicious - Halloween 

Our Crafty Corner - Getting Ready for Halloween 

Get Creative - Halloween

Creative Corner - Halloween

Crafts Galore - Halloween

That Craft Place - Halloween

Pile It On - Funky &/or Freaky

C.R.A.F.T. - Halloween...etc

Aud Sentiments - Halloween Sentiments

Dragons Lair - Halloween

Try it on Tuesdays - Halloween
Corrosive - The Dark Side 
Sweet Ideas - Spook tacular
Crafty Calendar - Halloween

Back

I hope you're having a great week.  I've had a few days off work which has been great & I've been catching up with jobs that I've been meaning to do for ages (sorting out airing cupboard etc).

Gorgeous New Images at All Dressed Up

Today is the release of 4 new images at All Dressed Up & they are all so fabulous it was difficult to chose which one to use but I went for "Paris" I coloured the background with chalk & the girl with ProMarkers, the paper was a freebie I found online HERE.  I made a  pocket & put at a small image of the Eiffel Tower that I found in my stash.  Be sure to check out the new images & all of Wendy's other gorgeous digis too :o)

The challenges:

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - Animals

Bunny Zoe - Teens & Tweens

Brown Sugar - Shabby Chic

Sisters of Craft - Anything Goes

Petal Lu - Anything Goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Doodle Pantry - Anything Goes (digi)

Whoopsi Daisy - Hand Coloured Image

Thanks for looking, I hope you're having a lovely week xx

All Dressed Up Challenge Time :o)

 Yey! The All Dressed Up new Anything Goes challenge starts today & I hope you can join us.  I used Wendy's "Tall Like You" image, isn't it cute & elephant's are my favourite animals :D  I paper pieced the animals & clouds & chalked the background.  I kept the card simple to focus on the image just adding a ribbon & woolly flower.

The challenges:

Oh La La - Get Krafty

Make My Monday - Autumn Colours 

Tuesday Throwdown - Clean & Simple

Freshly Brewed - The Great Outdoors 

Crafting for all Seasons - Autumnal Hues 

Scrap & Craft - Colours of Autumn

Fussy & Fancy - Autumn Colours

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - Animals
Inky Impressions - Dots & Stripes

I'm so glad it's Friday evening, it's been a rough week, I've had a horrible head cold & did feel awful.  Luckily I'm coming out the other side now & am really looking forward to having a nice relaxing weekend.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend too xx

2nd Pocket Letter

Front

& I'm now on my 6th  as I love making them & giving them :o)  You can find out about Pocket Letters HERE.  This one was made for a Facebook swap which was any theme so I did pink & green my favourite colour combo.  I used Basic Grey papers & stickers & added lots of goodies (buttons, gems, wooden shapes etc).  

The challenges:

Crafty Time - Anything But a Card 

Scrap & Craft - Butterflies 

C.R.A.F.T. - Add Some Bling

The Stamping Boutique - Banners 

Bloggers Challenge - Flowers For You 

Crafting With Friends - Anything Goes
Brown Sugar - Anything But a Card 
Paperminutes - Anything Goes 
Crafty Friends - B is for... Banner, Butterflies...

Back

I hope you're having a great Saturday, we went for a big breakfast with friends first thing this morning which is one of the best ways to start the weekend :o) (& means I don't have to cook later which is always a bonus!)

& New Release Time at All Dressed Up

As I haven't had so much time for crafting recently I've only been able to be on one DT but what a wonderful team it is!  I love being part of the All Dressed Up design team & getting to use Wendy's gorgeous images & I especially look forward to her new images each month & this time I chose (though it was a hard choice) "For You" & I coloured it with chalks.  I used various scraps for my stash & and added a bit of ribbon & pearls.  

The challenges:

Crafting With Attitude - Anything Goes

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - Fancy & Feminine

Little Red Wagon - Digi Do 

Love to Scrap - Do a Double Take

Karleigh Sue - Ribbon &/or Flowers 

Card Mania - Pastel Colors 

Fan-Tastic Tuesday - Make It Feminine

I hope you've had a lovely weekend & it hasn't gone too quick.

All Dressed Up New Challenge Time...

Yes today is the start of another All Dressed Up challenge, as usual it's Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up image & there are so many to choose from.  I need to get a start on my Christmas cards so I used "It's Snowing" & did some paper piecing on the snowman's scarf and hat.  The papers are from my stash (I have sooo many Christmas papers) & I finished off with some sticky ribbon, gems, die cut poinsettia & a bell, oh & Glamour Dust around the outline.  I hope you can join us.

The challenges:

ABC Christmas - Q - Quantum Leap (F for Frosty)

Jingle Bells- Tic-Tac-Toe ( Snow, Die Cuts, Bling)

Craftyhazelnut - Use Some Silver

Sparkle Creations - Anything Goes

A Gem of A Challenge - Do You Wanna Build a Snowman

Little Claire - Christmas in August

Sparkle & Sprinkle - Anything Goes (with loose glitter)

A Snowflake's Promise - Winter or Christmas 

Creative Card Crew - Christmas 

Holly Jolly - Use a Die

I hope you're having a good week.  I'm having a bit of a rough one - missed going out on Bank Holiday Monday as I was ill & still haven't quite recovered.  Gotta be better tomorrow though cos must go back to work cos we're so short staffed.

Birthday Celebrations

Happy Weekend everyone! The sun is shining & it feels like summer again here - hooray.  Today I'm blogging a card I made for my MIL's birthday which was last week (actually the same day as my eldest son's 30th birthday! - & in July we celebrated my other son's 28th birthday & my FIL's which are also on the same day!) so lots of celebrating going on :o)  For this card I used a pre-coloured image from Lili of the Valley (for quickness, not much free time lately), papers from my stash, lace, flowers & a die cut cupcake border.  

The challenges:

Crafty Catz - Flowers 

Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes 

Fussy and Fancy - Birthdays

Creative Knockouts - Celebration Time 

Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes

Creative Card Crew - Lace
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - Use a Sentiment  
Crafty Boots - Fair & Square

Thanks for looking (sorry about the rubbish photos) xx

I've Got a New Obsession...

Front

Have you heard about Pocket Letters?  They are a great way to craft, swap & send goodies to other like-minded crafters - you can read about them HERE.  I had some new Roald Dahl goodies I wanted to use & this was the perfect opportunity :o)  This was my first Pocket Letter & I have since made 2 more & am on my 3rd (which will be blogged at a later date :D

Back

Ready to send

The challenges:

Not Just Cards - Anything Goes 

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes 

Crafting With Attitude - Anything Goes

Simply Create Too - Anything Goes 

Polkadoodles - Use Something New

Crafting With Friends - Anything Goes

Frosted Designs - Metal/Metallics 

Why not give them a try, though I worn you they are very addictive lol.  Have a fabulous weekend :o) xx

A Little Reminder...

Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying the summer.  I've haven't had much time for blogging cos work has been very stressful with the new computer change & for some unexplained reason it is busier than it has ever been in the 14 years I've worked there. We've also had our son & 3 grandchildren staying so there was definitely no spare time for crafting or anything else lol.  

So this is just a quick reminder that the All Dressed Up challenge is back from it's summer break on 15th August & if you would like to join in but don't have any images yet you can "try before you buy" with their fab freebies which you can find HERE. This cute fella below is a freebie & I've had him coloured for a while but haven't had chance to make him into a card.

sorry the photo's not great it was it was taken quickly with my phone

A Bit of Upcycling :o)

Hello everyone, I've missed blogging for a few weeks...several reasons: the main one is that work has been very stressful & tiring - we've had a new computer system & it is completely different to our old one & we haven't been given much training & we're short staffed too! Also I've just found Pocket Letters, have you seen them?  I love them, I've made 2 now (will post more about them another time) & I love the idea that they're a cross between ATCs & a gift (you put lots of crafty goodies in the pockets & swap with peeps) :o) We're also clearing out our loft & found lots of LPs, 45s, cassettes & floppy discs.  I hate throwing anything away & am always looking for how things can be reused or altered so I searched the internet & came up with some ideas & I made these cassette pen pots, a floppy disc post it notes holder & some vinyl record bowls.  I am quite pleased with all of them & it means less to throw away - so it's win, win lol.

I'm entering these challenges: (I did check the rules & think they should be okay)

Craft My Life - All Crafts

Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes 

Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes

Anything But a Card - Anything Goes

I hope you're all having a great weekend & finding time to craft (it's very wet here & hubby's watching sport on tv so I'm trying to catch up a bit but I'm also still trying to sort stuff from loft & rearrange my craft room).

A Little Birdie Told Me...

We're on holiday from work this week & are doing lots of sorting in the house  but we are making time for a bit of fun too though - today we played Foot Golf with our youngest son Stuart which was definitely fun! (It is what it says it is - you have a football & kick it into the (big) hole).  Then we went for a meal out & watched a movie at home after :o)

You get the idea

I've found a little time to blog this card I made for a close friends birthday recently.  I used an image that I've had for ages from Pink Cat Studio (& is one that I love using for birthdays) which I coloured with ProMarkers.  I used a punched cupcake border & die cut cupcake. I finished off with a doily, some pearls & stamped greeting.

   

The challenges:

Crafty Time - Punches or Dies

Cute Card Thursday - We Love Cake

House of Cards - Food &/or Colour Inspiration

Crafting Desert Diva's - Birthday

Crafty Sentiments - Sweet

Scrapbook Cardmaking - Birthday

Little Red Wagon - Birthday

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Birthday

Simon Says - Furry Friends (some DT members used birds so I guess its okay :o)

I hope you're having a great week xx

All Dressed Up Challenge :o)

Helloo I hope you're all having a fabulous week.  We have some nice weather in the UK at last, although here on the east coast it's been quite cloudy & a bit windy (but at least it's not raining lol).  Today is the last  All Dressed Up challenge before our summer break (we will be back August 15th).  As always it's Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up image.  It's my son & DIL's 3rd wedding anniversary soon & I thought this Just Married image was perfect (unfortunately I had bit of a disaster with ink running so I had to cut it out & had to cut the 2 little birds off cos they were just too fiddly lol).  The image was coloured with ProMarkers.  The bunting is die cut & coloured to match the image.  The sentiment is from Pink Petticoat.  The papers are digi & from Snap Click Supply Co.& I finished the card with a brad, pearls, heart doily & flowers.  I hope you can join us & don't forget there are Freebies HERE so you have no excuse ;o)

 

The challenges:

Crafty Sentiments - Summer

Oddball Art Stamps - Summer Fun

Dragonfly Dreams - Special Occasion

Gem of a Challenge - Summer Time

That Craft Place - Lots of Layers

Get Creative - Include Flowers

Die Cuttin Divas - Anything Goes 

Stamp & Create - Summer Fun 

Whoopsi Daisy - Summer Fun
Scrap & Craft - Celebrations
I Love ProMarkers - Summer 
The Crafter's Cafe - Summer Fun

Inside the card

Thanks for looking :o)

Christmas In June...

I've usually made a few more Christmas cards than I have by this time in the year but then again I much prefer making them when it is cold & wintery & I can have my Christmas music on :o).  Anyway this card was going to be for a Sentimental Sundays challenge sponsored by Fred She Said but for some reason or another it never got finished until now.  The papers are from my stash (might have been from a freebie pad with a magazine), the image is Pointy Poinsettia Flowers (pre-coloured) & I used some micro beads for the centre.  I finished the card with a die cut border, gems & a greeting.

The challenges:

Crimbo Crackers - Vintage

Fab 'n' Funky - Christmas

Alphabet - J for Jewels

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - Seeing Red

Natalie & Amy - Christmas

Simply Create Too - Shabby Chic
Crafting By Designs - Get Ready for Christmas
Open-Minded Crafting - Vintage
Crafty Hazelnut's - Christmas
12 Month's of Christmas - Vintage

At last the weather has warmed up here & we actually had some sun here so hubby & I had a walk along our local seafront after we'd been for a cooked breakfast with friends - so the perfect way to start the weekend.  Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend whatever you're up to!

Happy Father's Day!

Yes today is Father's Day (well here in the UK & some other places) & the Sentimental Sundays challenge is just that "Father's Day" (+ a sentiment).  It is going to be our last challenge for a little while but we will be back firing on all cylinders I'm sure :o)  My card was made for my Father-in-Law (unfortunately my Dad is no longer with us & hasn't been for well over 20 years).  I used images from Docrafts Wellington Past Times DVD & made a rosette from folded paper.  Happy Father's Day to all those deserving Dad's out there!  I hope you can join us & if you need more inspiration why not check out the other DT members blogs.

The challenges:

Get Creative - For the Boys or Father's Day

Cardz 4 Guys - Father's Day

Die Cut Divas - Masculine Theme

Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Man in Your Life/Father's Day

Mod Squad - Father's Day

4 Crafty Chicks - Father's Day

Simply Create Too - Old Vintage, Shabby Chic
Kraftyhands - For the Dads 
Little Claire's - Father's Day
My Sheri - Masculine 
Open-Minded Crafting - Vintage
Quirky Crafts - Quirky Rosettes 

I hope you're having a lovely weekend.  I think I'm starting to get back to normal (though I have thought that before), fingers crossed.  Hugs xx

A Couple of Quickies...

I don't know if you've heard of Pay It Forward?  It's when you surprise someone, sometime during the year with a parcel of goodies (can be anything you fancy).  I've already sent a couple of packages out at the beginning of the year & now I have another couple ready to go & I made these quick cards to go with them.  This is the first time I've used my Marianne Collectables dies ("Eline's Typewriter"), which come with stamps. The notepaper is made with an EK Success punch & I finished them the cards with Washi Tape (I am in love with Washi Tape at the moment).  I really like how they turned out :o)

 I was supposed to be going back to work today but unfortunately been ill again so it will be Monday now & hopefully I can start a fresh week feeling well & get back to normal - at last! (fingers crossed).

The challenges:

Sugar & Betty's - Anything Goes 

Just Us Girls - Stacked Die Cuts

Glitter & Sparkle - Include a Die Cut

Ladybug Crafts - Use Your Dies

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Tip Top Tuesday - Cut It Out

Freshly Brewed - Anything Goes

I hope you're having a lovely week. Hugs xx

Big Present for Daddy

This is my 2nd card for the All Dressed Up Design Team (luckily it was made before my holiday) using one of their fab new images "Present for Daddy".  I coloured it with ProMarkers & used several punches: star border, star & corners. I finished the card with a star brad & greeting from Pink Petticoat (which I had to put on as there was a mark on the card lol).  While I'm here & talking about All Dressed Up we would love it if you would join our Facebook Page.   Don't forget there are lots of freebies available if you want to "try before you buy" & join in our current Anything Goes challenge :o)

The challenges:

Get Creative - For the Boys or Father's Day

The Pink Elephant - Father's Day

Crafty Boots - Father's Day/For the Man in Your Life

Crafty Cardmakers - For a Man or Boy

Dream Valley - Father's Day

Eureka Stamps - Father's Day

2 Cute Ink - Father's Day

Sweet Stamps - For Dad

Cardz 4 Guyz - Father's Day

Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes

Going Grey with Scrap-Creations - Father's Day

Come & Get It - It's a Guy Thing

Thank goodness I'm starting to feel better at last & I'm back to work Thursday which will come very hard but it will be nice to get back to normal again.  Thanks for looking xx