AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT !

I don't know about you , but i have well and truly had enough of Christmas card making  for this year  so I have chosen a non Christmas image for our challenge at I♥Promarkers .We are running the challenge for 2 weeks to cover the Christmas break and the theme is "anything goes ".

My new year's resolution is to make at least one christmas card per week from the 2 nd week in January onwards so that by the time Christmas comes around again I will be more than prepared for it !
I had a lot of wedding stuff to do this year and it held me back on my cards but next year has no such excuse ,I wonder if i will keep my resolution. . . . . It has to be easier than resolving to lose weight !



I would also like to wish all of my blog followers a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year 

HO HO HO

 OH OH NO ! This is how the title should really read !
I cant believe how fast Christmas is approaching - I still have so many cards to make as well as a couple of wedding cards and a scrapbook as a gift - of course i will  get it all done -I'm ever the optimist !

This card is for our Santa challenge over at I ♥ promarkers .The challenge is sponsored by Simon loves stamps and the prize this week is a $15 voucher to spend in the online store .

 I download the Santa image last Christmas and I cant remember where from so if anyone can help ,I would be grateful as I think he is a gorgeous Santa and there is an artist out there who deserves the credit for him .
The letters are cut on the cricut with the SCAL programme and of course he is coloured with promarkers .

Little drummer boy

I ♥ promarkers this week  has a Christmas song challenge , one of my favourites is The Little Drummer boy  so when i saw this image by Mo Manning ,i knew immediately which song i would be doing .
I cut the little drum and sticks and the music note from  Ellison dies and i printed the sentiment onto plain card and used an inkpad round the edges

December already . .

So that means Christmas tree time ! Our tree will be coming inside out of the darkest corner of the shed this weekend and will get in the way in our front room for about a month!

Our Challenge at I ♥ promarkers this week also calls for christmas trees - we want to see them on your cards

- There is a £10 prize up for grabs from our sponsor this week -Joanna Sheen 

I used an image from Digi doodle shop and i made a bracket shaped easel card, I embossed the top panel with a cuttlebug folder and then rubbed over it with  distress ink  to bring out the embossing 

A little bit of sparkle.... -well quite a bit really

I don't usually go for sparkly stuff on my cards ,maybe just a smidge of  clear glitter glue is my limit, but this week's challenge at http://ilovepromarkers.blogspot.com/ requires a bit of sparkle  so I had to be brave and go for the blingy stuff !
The cute Elf image is from digidoodleshop.com .
My sparkle was some posh wrapping paper that i bought last year - it was going cheap as many people had taken it back asking for a refund as nothing would stick to it - so all the presents were coming unstuck !
It really is super glittery  and i had to gut the mats and stick from behind as my layers would nt stick to it either !
I cut the words using SCAL on my cricut and had to use glossy accents to stick the mirri card to the glitter paper

I ♥ SNOWMEN

I adore snowmen and many of my cards this year will feature them , now the hardest part of this week's challenge at I♥ promarkers was deciding which one of the many cards i had made this week, was to be  used as my DT cards for our challenge.
We want to  see your snowmen creations (not real ones as the promarkers won't work on them )
I used this cute little guy from LOTV  , the bracket shaped card was covered in freebie papers that i had put in my stash box- of course i don't know where they came from  !
The square panel one is a particular favourite of mine so if anyone out there recognises it can you let me know !

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. . . . . . .

Morning all. .. it is blooming freezing here today  so it's perfect for telling you about  our latest challenge at http://ilovepromarkers.blogspot.com/, this week we want to see your "Icy Colours "

I have used a Lili of the valley stamp  coloured with icy grey promarkers  , the giant snowflake is another from my cricut and the tiny snowflakes are the "waste " from the Martha Stewart border punch around the edge of the mat.I added  "Icicle" stickles  glue inside each of the snowflakes for added sparkle 

I♥PROMARKERS challenge39-Snowflakes

 I used my cricut for this one ,and as the snowflake is so pretty and detailed  I did nt want to cover it right up with an image so I made sure this little guy was positioned just enough to one side to show off the snowflake .This is a bit of a quick post as I have to go to work in a few mins and then I'm off out tonight , so chances are it would n't get done at all otherwise

Happy Halloween

I just loved these cute little pumpkins,they are from Digi doodle shop who are our sponsors for this weeks challenge at I ♥ promarkers.Our challenge this week involves a sketch and a theme - the theme being "spooky goings on"
The background papers are from the halloween collection by Polkadoodles

Autumn Challenge for I ♥ promarkers

I seem to be fighting bugs off from all over the place - it seems ages since i have felt anything like normal .I have been drained of all my energy and now i've got a rotten cold. All I want to do is sleep but life must go on I have cards to make ! . . .
Here's the one for our Autumn themed challenge at I ♥ promarkers which this week is sponsored by Simon Says stamp and you could win $15 to spend at their online store .
I have used "punkin" by Mo Manning  and added die cut pumpkin and vines and leaves which i cut on my bug and then coloured with promarkers to match the image.I was struggling to find a background  paper to suit my card ,when the postman came to my rescue when he delivered me my copy of creative cardmaking magazine- it has some gorgeous free papers in it,I thought that the colours and the swirls complimented the image perfectly .I outlined the edge with an orange promarker for a faux mat look

CUPCAKE -CHALLENGE

This weeks challenge at I ♥ Promarkers is to follow a theme and this one is for Cupcakes.
I have been unwell this week ,really feeling Blurgh and in a lot of pain with my arm - it goes dead and heavy and really hurts but for no reason , it means i cant craft much at the moment and i have to limit my time on the pc so as not to aggravate it thank fully I made this before i was told to give the crafts a miss.I have painkillers but to be honest they are nt making much difference.I hope it does nt last too long- i m getting withdrawals

I♥PROMARKERS Think pink !

Since October is breast cancer awareness month  we are asking you to Think Pink  for our latest challenge over at I ♥ promarkers .So dig out your pink stash and show us your creations , we are sponsored by Joanna Sheen  so you could win some pennies to spend at her store .
Here is mine , I made a little easel card using my nesties dies, the flowers are punches and the image is from Kanban .

Swirls and pearls

I know , another white on white one from me - I'm sorry I promise it will be the last one from me for this week !
 This is for  I ♥ promarkers  , the challenge is sponsored by Pollycraft, I  chose Basil the snowman .
I used my cuttlebug swirly embossing folder and sizzix swirly die with various snowflake dies and of course  some self adhesive pearls

3 in one day !

Lol , I'm on a roll ,I made this one today too and  wanted to share - I probably won't post again til next Wednesday now !
This is done in ivory as it's for a couple's second marriage .I used my cricut -sweethearts I think ,cuttlebug divine swirls embossing folder and sizzix and cuttlebug dies  for the foliage

A new baby

I bought this cut file  just after my grandson was born , I'd already made the card for him so have been waiting patiently for the chance to use it - I just love that little baby elephant it is sooooo cute - I got it from myscrapchick

WHITE ON WHITE

This week's challenge at I ♥ promarkers is sponsored by Digi doodles shop and you could win $10 to spend in their store .
We want to see white on white cards or projects ,where the only colour is to be your image ,no coloured ribbons,flowers brads etc are allowed -ok !
I used the snowmen which were part of the christmas assortment , i used my cuttlebug to emboss the background panels , the trees are a sizzix die  and the snowflake a concoction of different die cuts all on top of each other .
I am also entering this in incy wincy's challenge which is also white on white

I ♥ promarkers - challenge sketch and an optional theme

This weeks challenge over at I ♥ promarkers is sponsored by Simon Says stamp We want you to follow our sketch and if possible follow our theme too - which is "rip it up "
I did have trouble with this as i don't like to tear my papers ! but i did and i am quite pleased with the result . The image is another  from my favourite artist Mo Manning 

I♥PROMARKERS Transport challenge

Morning all - I nearly forgot about posting this one , i thought I'd scheduled it but had n't .
This weeks challenge at I ♥ Promarkers is Transport , we don't mind what sort  its up to you !

I have used this cute teddy image from Lili of the valley , The background is  embossed in a sizzix embossing folder -I think its a Tim Holtz one  and i rubbed over it with two different inks .

I♥PROMARKERS challenge - MYTH AND MAGIC

Firstly an apology from me ,as I have been absent from blogging , crafting and commenting on your cards for the last week. My brother in law has been seriously ill in hospital  and i  have nt been able to craft as much as i would have liked to , when i had the time my mind was elsewhere . He is making slow improvements so i may be back in full swing really soon .

I♥PROMARKERS challenge 28

Well this weeks challenge at I ♥ Promarkers  has been set by me .I chose a Seaside theme as I should have been  at the seaside on the Isle of Wight this week but due to some personal issues we had to cancel it . :(
  I was nt really thinking about what image i would use when I set the challenge ,so it turned out to be quite a challenge for me too !
After much searching I found this gorgeous image by Mo Manning .I have had it a while and probably only used it once .I used a digital scrapbooking kit to design the background  and I cut out a couple of layers of the embellishments to decoupage them ,adding a bit of glossy accents to give them depth and shine .

I ♥ promarkers - acetate challenge

 This weeks i ♥ promarkers challenge is sponsored by Digital delights   , so if you would like to win  a  prize  to spend in the  digital delights store  , be sure to enter our challenge. This week we want you to use some acetate on your cards  here is my little acetate easel card . The image is called sitting Penny

My first tutorial

 I have done a little tutorial on  " cutting outside the frame" using nesties .It has been published on a fantastic new craft blog called "Craft mad and loving it !" , You can find loads of fab tutorials and product reviews on here it is definitely worth a look .
It was my first ever tutorial and i'm quite pleased with how it turned out - let me know what you think I 'd appreciate your feedback - Thanks x

I♥ promarkers #26 sketch and colour theme

This week's challenge at I ♥ promarkers is a sketch and a maximum of 3 colours (+ flesh if using people )

Here is mine , I used fairy flora by Mo Manning with   papers that were  a magazine gift . I used my Martha punches for the ribbon borders

About time too Del !

 My beautiful grandson Del  was finally born this morning after a marathon 39 hour labour ,  He decided to take the long scenic route , got a bit lost and then came out facing the wrong way round , he even managed to tie his umbilical cord in a knot !
He caused his poor mummy a lot of problems throughout the pregnancy, with sickness  everyday , he was a small bump and there were concerns that he was not growing properly - well he came out as a very hefty 7 lbs 13 1/2 oz so definitely not small !
He has got a lot of bruising to his beautiful face and  his head is a gorgeous shade of purple .
I made his card as a keepsake so have put a photo of him on it .
My lucky blog followers get to see him first as his parents don't want any photo's put on facebook just yet

A couple of stepper cards

 Here s two i've been working on this week , one using my favourite Tilda and the other using a download i'd had for ages and never used . Both are coloured with promarkers and the princess castle is coloured with the new Aquamarkers  from letraset .
 The lettering  on both is cut using Scal on my cricut

Happy Birthday Hannah !

Today is my daughter's birthday and we celebrated it by spending it sitting in the ante natal dept of the local hospital .Her first  baby is due today and it has been a rather difficult pregnancy for her , her visits to the midwife have been aplenty as the baby is not growing as well as he should be . After another monitoring  and measuring session , they sent her home . Much to her relief - she has said all along that she did nt want to have him on  her birthday as thats her day !

Here is the card i made for her- so that it will encourage her to get her figure back - not that it will take long thanks to the small bump !

I made the template myself , the lace is a Martha steward punch and the Tattoo is a rub on 

This second card is for the i♥ promarkers challenge , this week is a Christmas theme . The challenge this week is sponsored by Digi doodles and i have used the Ragga mutts Play ball image , I loved the little dog as he reminds me of my dog Hovis 

I♥PROMARKERS challenge 24 - Buttons

Morning all , I know two posts in less than 24 hours - what am I like ?
This is for the I ♥ PROMARKERS  challenge . This week we want to see some buttons on your project ,so get raiding your stash !
I had planned this card with the intention of using some gorgeous antique style,  heart shaped pewter buttons but of course i can't remember where i have put them !
Luckily i had enough mirri board left after cutting the swirls to cut some buttons using my sizzlits die .I wish i knew where those buttons were though - they match the background paper a treat .

new cards

Here are just a few of my creations from the last couple of weeks . I'm not great at remembering to post them on here  so it's been a bit neglected lately

Blogger probs :(

For some unknown reason i have had some problems leaving comments on blogs , i have even had trouble posting anything on my own one .I can type the message in the box and then it tells me there was an error and does nt post it - grrrrr
I   have been looking at all of your entries  for the i ♥ promarkers challenge and they are all fantastic.This week we have a theme and a sketch for you to follow ,we want to see your creations with dogs on

Distressed !

That is how  I felt when I saw what our challenge was going to be this week at I ♥ promarkers .I don't usually do distressing on my cards   I usually go for the neater style . My work space is messy enough without me adding to it .I ended up with ink splodges,torn up paper pieces and the dust from the roughed up bits every where !

The challenge is sponsored by Joanna sheen so you could win £10 to spend at her online store .I chose this gorgeous Mo Manning  bunny 'cos he knows exactly how I was feeling - the poor guy looks like he is going to burst into tears any second .
The heart charm is made by stamping the image onto card , cutting away the inside filigree parts and then triple embossing  with gold powder . I made it ages ago and did nt have a use for it   until now .

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN A PACK OF 5 PROMARKERS ?

Of course you would ! lol .... well all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning them is to join in with this week's challenge at I love promarkers. We want to see stripes on your projects . don't forget it must be a new card made for this challenge but we dont mind if you enter it in other challenges . 

Here is mine -

Sam's Christening card

This is for my darling little grandson , it is his Christening day on Sunday ,   I can't believe that he is six months old next week  the time has really flown by .
I will post christening pictures next week .

My new craft room

Well here it is - at last
My very own purpose built craft room . I started off years ago on the dining table , then progressed to a corner of the bedroom .We decided that i should have a separate room for crafty stuff so we had a conservatory built , not a huge one just perfect for me .
Then in January my daughter left home so i moved into her bedroom and made the conservatory into the dining room.Great i thought , nice big room to work in - however my 8 yr old daughter had other ideas she wanted the big room .I said there was no way my two desks would fit in there - its a tiny box room .I said i would only have it if it was all fitted out with worktops and shelving
Wish granted ! - i did nt know that I would be the one who would be fitting them ! - silly me should have realised i do everything else around here !
anyway it took me best part of a week to do  and here it is . .. . .. . . . . .

I♥PROMARKERS challenge #20 - a sketch

This is the sketch for this weeks challenge at I♥PROMARKERS this week  it is sponsored again by Digi Doodles 

For some strange reason the colour of the roses on the cake have nt come out the same as they look in real life , infact i dont know what has happened to the colours altogether in this picture . The flowers and the background should look like a cerise pink but they look more orangey  - so im not very happy with this one at all . i could nt get another photo as it had to get sent off to reach the recipients in time for the wedding which was last weekend .