Friday Focus

Time to share a card I made for this week's challenge at CASology where the cue word is heart.

And it had to be a Christmas card as I've got them on the brain at the moment!

This has to be the cutest stamp set I've seen in ages and it just sort of jumped into my shopping basket without any hesitation. Love it!

It's funny how in this photo it looks like the circle and frame are cut out when in reality it's the card with the sentimnt and hearts that's the cut out.

Supplies:
Stamps: Lawn Fawn, Winter wl
Inks: Memento, tuxedo black; SU, strawberry slush
Card: SU, strawberry slush
Die: Technique Tuesday, Magic Circle Card
Promarkers: cool grey 1-5, mint green, ruby

Oh and I just want to mention that I spotted this over at Let's December Daily. Go take a look!

 

 
Won't be long now!

Thanks for dropping by today, your time is really appreciated. And keep crafting!

CAS Colours & Sketches #148

Are you ready for this? Yep, it's the double challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches this week.

Superb colours and a lovely little sketch - just what you need to get itching to get crafting!

I embossed a horizontal strip and then placed three different sized butterflies around it.

I stamped the sentiment and then just added that little something with a trio of black dots. Remember black is one of our allowed accent colours.

Supplies:
Stamps: Clearly Besotted, Everything Changes
Inks: SU, rich razzleberry, rose red, wisteria wonder
Die: Clearly Besotted, Everything Changes
Embossing: DoCrafts, quilting
Embellishments: Doodlebug Sprinkles, beetle black asst

So are you up for the double challenge? Of course you are! Go see what the rest of the DT have created to inspire you - here.

So pleased you found time to drop by today, thanks so much.  And keep crafting!

Time Out Challenge

Uniko is sponsoring the challenge at Time Out this fortnight and so naturally the DT are joining in with sample cards.

The theme is CHRISTMAS with an optional twist of using pink and/or purple. Right up my street then!

I started by die cutting a circle and then cutting again with a smaller die to get my wreath shape. I then temporarily adhered it to a card base before stamping. I started with the pink poinsettias and purple snowflakes and then added my ferns and leaves, some of them coming off both edges.

I lifted the wreath a little onto pads and stamped both the bow and sentiment before attaching it - I used the off the edge ferns to help place them.

Supplies:
Stamps: Uniko, Background Builders Winter Additions, Background Builders Vines, sentiment from Pure Florals Poinsettia, bow from Balloon Bash
Inks: SU, pear pizzazz, old olive, mossy meadow, regal rose, wisteria wonder
Dies: Spellbinders, standard circles small

Oh did I mention PRIZES? Check this out!

First for entering the challenge at TIME OUT Challenges, you have the chance to win an in stock stamp set of the winners choosing from the Uniko website.

Second, simply comment on this post at Uniko & then the rest of the Uniko Design Team posts for a chance to win this week's Stamp Of The Week - Label Love: Thank you. The winner will be chosen randomly from all the comments & you have until the end of the TIME OUT Challenge to comment.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today, hope I've inspired you a little and good luck with the prizes.

And keep crafting!

The Male Room #22

You're going to be so pleased with this month's theme at The Male Room! You know all those eyelets and brads you've got left in your stash from the days when they were the 'new trend', well this is your chance to dig them out and use them up.

I've been seeing lots of words lit up with tiny lightbulbs around blogland and shopping centres recently and that's the look I've tried to recreate with my card.

I love how they are casting a shadow in the photo below, almost as if they really were lights!

And I have to say a big thank you to my husband for opening up all the pointy bits of the brads - I was such a girl and didn't want to spoil my nail polish.

Supplies:
Stamps: SU, Hardwood, Uniko, All Occasion Sentiments #6
Inbks: SU, baked brown sugar, tip top taupe
Card: SU, tip top taupe
Embellishments: brads from my stash 

So over to you now. I know you're not going to want to miss this opportunity to put a dent in your stash, but just check out the rest of the DT cards before you go rooting. Here's the link.

Thanks so much for looking today, I really appreciate your time.  And keep crafting!

AAA Cards - Challenge #51 Halloween 4 Everybody

So after our last Halloween challenge where we were strictly CAS the new challenge at AAA Cards allows for all styles.

What will you come up with? I got out my beloved Lavinia stamps and created a little scene on purple card that I cut into a tag shape.

I'm thinking my card is still CAS though, guess I'm just more comfortable with that style these days.

I blinged it all up by coating Willow the Witch with wink of stella, adding some gorgeous black gems and matting the tag onto foiled green paper.

Supplies:
Stamps: Lavinia
Inks: Versafine, onyx black
Papers: from my stash
Embellishments: Papermania adhesive stones; ribbon from my stash; Wink of Stella, clear 

I'm entering this card into the challenge at Craft Rocket where their theme is Spooky.

Go check out what the rest of the DT have created - here. And then get cracking! Can't wait to see your cards popping up in our gallery.

Thanks for your visit today. and keep crafting!

Uniko Challenge #26 Reminder

I'm back today with another card to encourage you to join in with this month's Geometrical Challenge at Uniko.

There is a twist to use circles or squares, but I had Christmas on my mind and decided to triangulate!

I chose two contrasting shades of blue and went a bit Christmas tree crazy. I offset my stamped panel with a border of lustre card.

I'm guessing stars also qualify as geometric shapes, so I added a scattering amongst the trees for a bit of visual fun.

Supplies:
Stamps: Uniko, Rustic Christmas, Background Builders Triangulate
Inks: SU, night of navy; Memento, bahama blue

So pleased you visited my blog today. Be sure to pop over to all the other DT and Guest DT blogs and have your mind blown away by their creativity.

And keep crafting!

CAS Colours & Sketches #147

Time for a sketch challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches this week. And such a simple classic one too.

Well it just screamed Christmas trees to me, so that's what I went with.

I've kept completely true and simple to the sketch and heat embossed both the trees to add some shine.

I die cut a stitched curve to indicate a hill before placing the golden tree onto pads for dimentsion. A simple sentiment finished off this quick and easy card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Uniko, Rustic Christmas, Simply Said Christmas
Inks: Versamark; Memento, tuxedo black
Embossing: Personal Impressions, mirror gold; black
Die: Paper Smooches, stitched

I'm looking forward to seeing what you all create with this sketch - I know lots of you will think more outside of the box than me. If you haven't already check out the rest of the DT cards here.

Thanks for your time today. And keep crafting!

Tuesday Talk

The last of my pages about our Summer trip to the Isle of Man is here on the blog today. I used the October sketch from Boys Rule and some vibrant colours.

I chose purple and red as my main colours with accents of white picking up on them from the photo. And I have to say they are colours that really set each other off beautifully.

I can't tell you how many times I've tried to get a shot of the horse drawn tram in Douglas. It never seems to be around when I'm on foot and I'm always too slow to capture it when in the car. And then this happened!  I already had my camera out taking shots of the promenade and then the tram stopped to pick up passengers right behind me - well it would have been rude not to turn round and take advantage!

Here's a closer look at the stamping and washi tape cluster at the top right of the page.

Supplies:
Papers: Bazzill Basics cardstock; Basic Grey, Eerie; Magnolia, So Spooky
Stamps: SU, Gorgeous Grunge
Ink: SU, whisper white
Alphas: Lilybee Designs, Pinwheel
Dies: Waffle Flower, Make Something Today; Clearly Besotted, Superstar; Lawn Fawn, Louie's ABC's
Embellishments: Sakura Gelly Roll, white; washi tape and buttons from my stash

I'm so pleased to have you visit today, many thanks.

And keep crafting! 

Monday Moments

As the theme at Less is More this week is MASCULINE I'd be foolish not to enter a card.

 

And this is one I made for one of my son's upcoming birthday.

I chose his favourite colours and kept the design very simple. He always looks puzzled when I give him cards with too many embellishments so less is more is right up his street.

 

I adhered the die cut to paper and then popped it up a little on foam pads. I offset the white mat and added a trio of sprinkle dots - hoping this won't be too much for him!

Supplies:
Die: Lil 'inker
Embellishments: Doodlebug Sprinkles, denim blue asst.

Thanks for looking today.  And keep crafting!

Sunday Slot

I've been meaning to scrap this photo of my husband, taken in August, for some time now. And finally I've discovered a sketch that seems right. It's from Boys' Rule and is from their September challenge.

This is such an amusing photo and really typifies an Englishman on holiday. He just hates getting sand on him and spent the whole morning sitting on the wall watching the rest of us scrabbling and paddling.

I replaced the stars with cogs - can't you just see his brain cogs whirring? So funny!

I actually stitched the dotted lines from the sketch and added a bit of stamped grunge to help the flow of the eye across the page.

I think the only thing I really altered from the sketch are the horizontal banners which I kept straight as this seemed to balance the large photo better.

Supplies:
Papers: AC, Rise & Shine; scraps from my stash
Stamps: Collage Press, Official Record; SU, Gorgeous Grunge
Ink: SU, wisteria wonder
Dies: Spellbinders, sprightly sprockets; Xcut, stars
Alphas: Simple Stories, So Fancy & Snow Fun 

 Thanks for dropping by today.  And keep crafting!

Saturday Slot

I'm popping a second card into the current challenge at Addicted to CAS as I'm not too sure my first one - here - meets their CAS requirements.

 

 I'm more confident that this card is CAS and I made it for one of my daughters-in-law. Her birthday is actually today and she, like me, has a passion for purple.

I die cut a stitched square and then placed it back in the aperture to keep it to one layer. I placed three sparkly die cut balloons and stamped the strings and bow before adhering them - the middle one is up on small pads.

Supplies:
Stamps: Uniko, Balloon Bash, Simply Said Birthday
Dies: Lawn Fawn, large stitched square stackables, Clearly Besotted, Make A Wish

Thanks you so much for looking today, your time is really appreciated.

And keep crafting! (YAY! Strictly tonight) 

Uniko Challenge #26

Today sees the start of a new challenge at Uniko. And it's one to get your brain thinking mathematically as we're asking for geometric shapes. Twist if you can by using circles or squares.

GEOMETRICS

with an optional twist of CIRCLES OR SQUARES

Well I went for the squares twist for my sample card and some delicious toning colours.

I used three of the smaller stamps from Background Builders Squared and built up my tiled panel turning the striped stamps along each row.

I then added a sentiment from the Classic Numbers set, not the expected place to find a sentiment but I'm very taken by both the font and the words.

Supplies:
Stamps: Uniko, Background Builders Squared, sentiment from Classic Numbers
Inks: SU, bermuda bay, pool party, smoky slate

And as if the Uniko DT cards are not inspirational enough we also have two fabulous Guest Designers this month - Julia and Rahmat. I highly recommend a visit to their blogs, so much high quality creativity going on you'll be impressed!

Need a little more incentive to join in the fun? Will some prizes help?

THE PRIZES!

Our DT will choose a winner who will get a £20 gift voucher

Our DT will choose a top 3 who will get 50 Loyalty Reward Points added to their customer account.

We will do a random draw for those who used a Uniko stamp and this winner will get 150 Loyalty Reward Points added to their customer account.

We will do a random draw for those who twist with us (Circles or Squares) and they will receive 100 Loyalty Reward Points added to their customer account.

This challenge runs for 2 weeks, closing on Friday October 30th 8pm GMT.

Thanks for coming by and stopping a while today. And keep crafting!