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