Christmas is coming!

Hope everyone is staying warm in this REALLY cold weather! Also hope that your christmas preparations are going well, I am ahead with the shopping but behind with the cards -no surprise there then! One christmas card I finished last night and gave out before posting on my blog was for my friend Fleur. My inspiration for it was courtesy of two challenges -
Just Magnolia - Anything goes with Sparkle
Friday Sketchers - sketch
I have got some wonderful christmas stash that I am itching to use and I did manage to use a bit of it on this card. Hooray!

I used:
Magnolia - Tilda on Ornament, ticket - Loving christmas wishes
Papermania designer brads
SU inks and Tim Holtz distress inks

False and real stitches
silver gel pen for lots of sparkle highlights
paper pieced Tildas outfit

Thanks for looking,your comments are so appreciated!
Nicola xxx

Many happy returns....:0)

Hi there, hope everyone is well in blogland. Just a quick post, it was my son's eighth birthday last Thursday and I made him a card based around Truly Scrumptious' challenge sketch as it had an optional extra theme of birthday card too. The slide out section that reveals Joshua's name looks a bit primitive but it was the best way I could create the idea I had. Needless to say Josh was thrilled with his card, who could ask for more?

I used: SU and distress inks
SU designer button
SU Round tab punch and Totally tabs stamp
Greetings Farm - little boy image from OA-Happy Day
Papers, string and alphabet stickers from stash

I would like to enter Truly Scrumptious' challenge this week.

Thanks for looking, your comments are always appreciated.

Nicola xxx

Christmas reminiscing

It's been so long between posts I have given up apologising, but need a word with myself as I have had serious withdrawal symptoms from my crafting - have been dreaming about it! Still, earlier this week I did manage to feed my addiction and created a christmas card. I managed to combine quite a few challenges ( a challenge in itself!), and it came together really quickly.
The challenges I would like to enter are:Sir Stampalot - Christmas Traditions
Magnolia Stamp Lovers - Sketch
Totally Tilda - Icy Christmas Blue and Silver
Pollycraft - Doodling

Had great fun with the doodling, don't know if the picture shows it all that well but along with the black edging I also covered the pale blue card background with silver swirls.
The christmas tradition challenge set by Sir Stampalot this month has a story behind it. Secretive Tilda reminds me of a family tradition that started when I was younger and living at home. Mum would wrap all my presents and then as it got nearer to christmas she would gradually add one or two more every day to sit under the christmas tree. Dad would encourage me to feel/shake the presents to see if I could guess what they were. We had fun with this as mum didn't want the surprise to be spoilt and used to tell dad off (trying to get cross but failing miserably). Mum would play her own game and pretend to have forgotten where she had hidden some of the presents, or saying that was everything and then finding one last present from upstairs. I loved this and looked forward to it every year, nearly more so than the gifts I received.
This is only the second time I have used distress inks and painting as a medium for my images, so don't look too closely as it's not brilliant but practice makes perfect. I definately prefer this method, thanks to Fleur for showing me how easy it is and what gorgeous results can be achieved.

I used the following:
Magnolia - Secretive Tilda
White flower
Su - inks, star brad, sentiment, blue cardstock, Christmas tree from Season of Joy stamp set
Distress inks
Mirror card, snowflakes, ribbon from stash
Paper pieced Tilda's clothes from patterned paper

Thanks for stopping by
Nicola xxx

All dressed up

Hi, hope everyone is ok and looking forward to half-term next week. I don't mind school holidays that only last a week, they go incredibly quickly and we are usually very busy. Just a quick post tonight, this is a card I made a couple of weeks ago for some challenges that caught my eye, then the night that I was going to post it I lost internet service and didn't get it back again for over a week. So here is the card (better late than never), and I would like to enter it for two challenges:
Magnolia Stamp Lovers' Sparkling challenge and Totally Gorjuss - Pink!

Hope you can see from the dodgy photo's that Tilda has sparkly gem buttons and glitter wings, there are gems on the swirly patterned paper and background paper has glitter dots.
I used: SU - sentiment and inks
Magnolia - Stylish Tilda
papers, brads, gems and ribbon from stash

Thanks for taking the time to look
Nicola xxx

Things that go bump in the night!

Hi everyone, so glad to be back crafting again. I have been busy making cards even if I have been absent from my blog. Time has flashed by and here I am nearly a month on from last time I did a post - scary! Talking of all things scary, that leads me to my card, it has a halloween feel and considering it is my first attempt at something spooky I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn't rush it and it kind of evolved as I went along. The ribbon didn't want to stick and the home made pumpkins look a bit dodgy,(I am not the best at colouring either, sorry Tilda!)but here I am getting too self - critical again!

I used; Magnolia Ink paper - 'So Spooky' Halloween Star
Magnolia stamps - Bat Tilda, Pirate? Tilda (loaned from my lovely friend Fleur), text,'have a spooktacular night'
SU - Bashful blue cardstock, eyelet border punch, inks; bashful blue and pumpkin pie
Nestabilities labels nine
pumpkin charm - given to me by Fleur (too kind xx)
spider - was a halloween novelty ring!
ribbon and wool from stash - for the web

I would like to enter the following challenges:
Cupcake - Scary Creatures
SPCC - colour combo: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue
Totally Tilda - Halloween


Thanks so much for taking time to stop by
Nicola xxx

Birthday Wishes

Hope everyone is ok in blogland, so sorry I have been awol for so long. I seem to have been busy doing nothing, time slips through my fingers sometimes without any real achievement. The last few weeks I have been settling into my new routine, two children at school now instead of one and little girlie starting preschool. It has taken me a while to re-adjust and now I have got my head around it I can get back to normality.
Just a quick post tonight, it was my son's fifth birthday today and he was really pleased with the card I made him as he loves Scooby Doo! The decoupage Scooby and background paper was from a pack, used a lot of scraps; paper, ribbon, and an ancient 'birthday boy' stamp!






Thanks for stopping by, hopefully it won't be as long before I post again!
Nicola xxx

Last of the summer....:(

Hope everyone is well in blogland this Sunday night, a couple of friends have been under the weather lately so hope they feel better very soon! Not had as much time to play or blog this week and got cravings - don't like to be parted from my crafty things for too long. I was delighted to find I won the Magnolia Stamp Lovers challenge this time - don't often win but when I do I get over excited!
Anyway.... enough of my ramblings. Got to share the card I finished last night for an animal theme challenge. Went wild for colour as I am hanging on to the last of the warm weather, think this will be my last chance to celebrate summer before I give in to autumnal and (dare I say it) Christmas projects!

The digi image is called Butterfly Kisses and it was one of three digi images I won a few weeks ago from a Crafts 4 Eternity challenge. I was over the moon as I had never won anything before, and I have been trying to work them into my cards ever since.

I would like to enter Spoonful of sugar challenge - using an animal image.

I also used: SU papers, cardstock, stamps;sentiment (circle of friendship), vintage label, inks to colour image
buttons and ribbon from stash

Thanks so much for taking the time to look, your comments are always lovingly read.
Nicola xxx

Anya wishes for?.....

Hope everyone is enjoying not only the last few days of the school hols but also the lovely weather - better late than never! Just a quick post to show a card I made for the Anyone for Anya? challenge which is a sketch I just couldn't resist. I originally only had an image of Fleur Anya,kindly lent to me by (funnily enough - Fleur!) but I have since bought Princess Anya. So I thought I would shrink princess and make her a fairy godmother figure.

I would like to enter the Anyone for Anya sketch challenge this week, and I used the following to create my card: papers - Magnolia: Something Old, Something New,
Kaisercraft: blushed devotion
SU - sentiment and stampin' spot inks
Greeting Farm stamps - Fleur Anya (thanks Fleur for the loan! x)
Princess Anya
other papers, brads and ribbon from stash


Thanks for stopping by
Nicola xxx

Gearing up for Autumn

Hi all, sorry it's taken so long since my last blog. I been a busy girl on days out with the family. I am exhausted after day trip to London and glad to get back to crafting for a rest! The card I have made was inspired by two Magnolia challenges, tied in a sketch with an autumn feel. Played about with my new Tilda image and decided to paper piece her dress as it looked better than my colouring! I chose to give her knee high boots and jodpur style leggings instead of turn-up jeans. I decoupaged the acorn and ended up doing a mixture of cross-stitch and running stitch around the edge using orange and brown embroidery silks.

Challenges I would like to enter:
Just Magnolia - sketch
Magnolia Stamp lovers - Autumn

I used: Cosmo cricket paper - Earth Love
Magnolia - Tilda with straw
SU - Touch of nature stamps, sentiment and acorn


Thanks for stopping by
Nicola xxx

Reminiscing.....

Hi all, I'm back with yet another creation, they are coming thick and fast at the moment! I apologise now for the length of the post but if you have a spare half an hour....Lol!
I was inspired by the Just Magnolia sketch for their challenge, this is where the card originated from and developed half way through to incorporate the great challenge at Allsorts too - paper piecing/paper piercing. I have gone for a woodland theme and the horseriding Tilda takes me back to my youth when I was pony mad. I still love horses although I have yet to find time and money to go back to the hobby. I am enjoying making aperture cards at the moment and I'm always pushing my boundaries to come up with bigger and better ideas. Just in case its not easy to see, I plaited three ribbons and stapled them at each end, faux stitched round the edges by piercing and joined the holes with pen and paper pieced Tilda's riding hat - subtle contribution to the challenge but sometimes less is more!)

The inside was looking a bit boring with just a photo of some trees so I added a few swirls and buttons to take the minimalist look away!

I used: Horserider Tilda - borrowed from my friend Fleur (thanks loads x)
Stampin Up - inks, designer buttons, swirl stamp, hodgepodge hardware and sentiment stamp
ribbons and papers from stash
photo taken in Ferry Meadows, Peterborough - 14th Aug, proof that summer hasn't passed us by completely just yet, it was warm and sunny believe it or not (had to dodge the odd shower though!)

I would like to enter the following challenges:
Just Magnolia sketch
Allsorts- paper piercing/paper piecing
Thanks for stopping by and taking a look, even if you skipped bits!
Nicola xxx

Edwin's latest hobby!

Hi everyone, just a quick post to give my latest creation an airing. I chose to enter Friday Sketchers lovely little sketch challenge this week and created my husbands anniversary card out of it which I will be giving to him tommorrow - another problem solved! Hope he likes it, the golf bag and ball were my invention, to reflect his hobby and to give Edwin something to do as he looked a bit bored!

I used:- Edwin (kindly given to me by my friend Nicky - thanks so much x)
cardstock, ribbon and brads from stash

Thanks for looking and happy crafting
Nicola xxx

A Hint of Harvest

Hi everyone, hope all staying warm on these not so summery days! We have been stuck at home this week since our car broke down on Monday! Not a good thing to happen in the school holidays but hopefully we will have transport again for next week and whatever the weather we will be out everyday!
My card this time is for The Stamp Man challenge of 'Take 2 colours'. I like totally different challenges sometimes and although I do like to do sketch challenges a lot, this made me create my own and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I chose brown and yellow shades as they remind me of harvest, (seen a few combines around lately!) and the warm tones reminded me of a 'perfect' summers day.
Tried a couple of new things for me: stitches and home made flowers - judge for yourself how well I got on!

I used: Magnolia Sunflower Tilda
Stampin Up - inks, Boho Blossoms Punch( for flowers), sentiment -'The more candles the bigger the wish', designer button and swirl.

Thanks for stopping by and taking time out to look
Nicola xxx

Summer seaside delights...

Hope everyone is ok, just a quick post tonight, adding yet another card!

Probably wont be able to keep this up, unless I'm finally addicted and
not capable of stopping! Had such a lot of fun making this one, and I used
it as a teachers card for Josh to give out at the end of term.
Going to enter Bunny Zoe's Crafts challenge this week, with
a theme of 'Summer Days'.

I used:
Tilda & seaside bench(borrowed from my friend Fleur -Thank you, hun!)
Stampin Up Swirl stamp, inks, cardstock, 'On Board' flower
and 'thank you' sentiment
Nestabilities- Labels Nine
Sea photo taken at Hunstanton

Thanks for stopping by
Nicola xxx

So Tweet and quirky owl

I have been really busy crafting this week, it doesn't always work out that way so I am making the most of it! I have been inspired by so many challenges just lately and have done this card to enter Crafts 4 Eternity Recipe Challenge number 44.


I used: Kaisercraft paper- Lilac Avenue
Stampin Up- On Board 'So Tweet' owl, flowers, stem and leaves
Chocolate chip designer button
Circle of Friendship birthday sentiment

Thanks for taking a look
Nicola xxx

Dressed up Tilda

Where has the sun gone! Thankfully my cards dont reflect the weather in the hope that sunny skies are soon back with us. I have really chilled out now and the kids and I are all in holiday mode. Last week was a bit hard work but now we have all wound down it's great!
On to my card, as I like Magnolia stamps so much I thought I would do the sketch for Just Magnolia's challenge this week. I went for smart looking Tilda but certain aspects are rough around the edges. The distressing creeps into most of my cards!




I used:Cosmo cricket paper-Girl Friday 'Thursday'
Magnolia flowers-Vintage blue & cream Lily
Magnolia Staylish Tilda
Stampin Up sentiment 'For You' and Vintage Label

Thanks for stopping by and having a look
Nicola xxx

Enjoying summer gardening

Hope everyone is ok in blogland, I personally am more than ready for the summer holidays. Joshua breaks up from school on Wednesday (hurray- no more pack lunches to make) and routine will definately be gone for six weeks! Callum doesn't finish preschool till Friday but I am dreading that because I lose my baby to school in September and that just leaves Jasmine, they are growing up too fast!
Been a bit manic here so only just done another card for my blog, it's for Truly Scrumptious' challenge incorporating a sketch with 'How does your garden grow'.




I used the following:
Cosmo Cricket paper - garden variety/bloomers
Sarah Kay stamp
Stampin Up colours, choc chip designer button, 1/4" Grosgrain ribbons, Boho blossoms punch.
Thanks for stopping by
Nicola xxx

Distressed nature!

Hope everyone is ok and finding time to craft. My little girl isnt very well and I'm sat with her on the sofa, otherwise I would not be doing this until much later! The inspiration for my crafting this time comes from two challenges I would like to enter:
One Stop Craft-Distressing
Totally Gorjuss-sketch
I did a little more distressing than usual to emphasise it for the challenge but I think I might do more rather than less in future as I think I like it!



I Used:
Paper Shapers-3" Scallop punch
Papers - Kaisercraft 'Blushed: Devotion and Passion'
Stampin Up chocolate chip ink
stamps- butterfly and bird 'Touch of Nature'
'thankyou'

Thanks for stopping by
Nicola xxx

Strawberry dream...

If anyone has been kind enough to stop by, this is my very first blog and has taken far too long in the making, but here it is finally! I'm a little bit nervous about it as I am far too critical of my own work, it's a miracle anything has made it onto my blog.The lovely weather we have been enjoying lately has inspired me to do the "Strawberries and cream" sketch for the Truly Scrumptious challenge


To make the card I used: Cosmo Cricket Strawberry Fields paper
Magnolia Tilda with striped apron and Lace jam jar stamps
Stampin Up Circle of Friendship Thanks for everything stamp
Stampin Up inks; old olive,blush blossom,close to cocoa,
ruby red,and cameo coral


Thanks for stopping by
Nicola xx