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