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Thursday 27 December 2012

Pop over to the The Ribbon Girl Blog for the chance to win some fabulous goodies :)

Day 10 - lace giveaway comprises
1 metre of cream tulip lace
1 metre of 22mm guipure laace
1 metre of 28mm cream cotton fine cluny lace
1 metre of white church window guipure
1 metre of cream fine cluny lace
1 metre of daisy venise lace

If you are not lucky enough to win this beautiful lace then you can always pop over to The Ribbon Girl on-line store and spend some of your pennies on their beautiful products.


Thursday 4 October 2012

A FAB GIVEAWAY FROM JOSIE ROSE



for more details on this FAB Giveaway then pop over to Always with a Heart where the lovely (and very busy) Jules has more info. 

Tuesday 21 August 2012

A Share At Last

Hi Folks, sorry for the long absence put life has been quite hectic over the last few months, I can't believe where this year has gone, almost September already. I have been making cards and creating and making in other ways as well just not seemed to have any time to post on my blog. Better time management is needed I think lol.
Anyway was having a quick cruise around some of the blogs I follow and the current challenge over at Lili of the valley fits perfectly with a card I recently made for one of my hubby's work colleagues



I am entering this into the following challenge:
Lili of the valley - Thursday Challenge - Oh So Girlie

Saturday 5 May 2012

Bad Back


Sorry for  the blogging drought but I have been mega busy making cards for a forthcoming wedding so have not really picked up my laptop for a while. I am suffering a little today as hurt my back yesterday whilst bending down to get a towel our of a drawer :( It's so stupid how these things happen. Anyway three days off to try to get it back to normal or at least let the pain subside also three days of card making I've got a to do list at the moment, more wedding cards, a christening and new baby plus birthday cards to make also I do need to try to make a start on my Christmas cards or it will be a mad rush in a few months time (where does the time go?).
Anyway one of the wedding cards I have made fits perfectly into this weeks challenge over at Lili's Little Fairies   which this week is Anything Goes so here is my card for this challenge.
I have used a Lili of the Valley die cut for the image these are brilliant for a quickish make ( can't say quick as I have never yet managed to make a quick card) and are brilliant value for money. The image I have matted and layered on to card and paper from my stash and added a few little pearls and heart gems also from my stash.
I am entering this card into the following challenge:
Lili's Little Fairies - Anything Goes

Monday 9 April 2012

Not so lazy Monday

Hi everyone,
hope you have all had a great Easter weekend and that the Easter Bunny brought you loads of eggs. Just a quickie share from me for today as have been rushing around a bit today but can't complain as other than today have had a very lazy crafty weekend. Got quite a few cards made and also actually completed my first Christmas card of the year but the share I have for you is a very simple card that I have made for a work colleague for a Christening. I don't really have any stamps etc. that are Christening related so I hope she is ok with what I managed to come up with
 I have literally just used some blue pearlised card which I have run through an embossing folder on my Cuttlebug, matted and layered this onto some silver mirror card and more of the same blue card, added some ribbon as a wrap and a bow and the sentiment is alphabet peel offs. I have also made another card with an image on it so she has got a choice but I will share that with you again.
That's it from me for tonight going to make the most of what hours are left before bedtime as work tomorrow.

Kietha x

Sunday 1 April 2012

Time

No matter how hard I try to post more often or make more cards time always seems to be against me so here it is the weekend again and you have both a post and a card. Regarding the cards I make I never seem to be able to do a quick card they always take me a minimum of two hours and quite often double that, don't think I'll ever make my fortune crafting. But hey ho who cares it is how I chill and I enjoy playing with paper, card, glitter and glue even if it means the surface of the dining table never sees light of day lol.
So here is my share for this weekend

The image is Lili of the Valley 'Bunny Cupcakes' which I have coloured with ProMarkers added a little glamour dust to the icing and glossy accents on the bunnies noses, feet and the cherries on top of the cupcakes. The yellow card stock that I have used for matting is from my stash as is the ribbon (this is the very last length of this ribbon :( I will have to go on the hunt for more), and the little self-adhesive pearls. The papers are all from Nitwit Designs not sure which collection but I love all their papers and buy a few more each month. The sketch is an old one that I have only partially followed as when I started to layer the card the balance wasn't quite right so I moved where the sentiment was to go. Although there is no picture of the inside of the card I always decorate these as well to mirror the layering on the front.
So that is it from me for now I am going to get another make in today before I have to stop to prepare tea, the weather here today is lovely and sunny again although a little chilly but was watching the weather forecast earlier and they have forecast snow for Monday and Tuesday so will have to wait and see.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Lili's Little Fairies Challenge - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes
Ribbon Carousel Challenge - Anything Goes
Party Time Tuesdays - #61 - Anything Goes
Divas by Design - Challenge 28 - Stamp Something
My Mum's Craft Shop - Challenge #50 - Stamp It

Thursday 29 March 2012

Just another quickie

Hi everyone, life is a bit hectic here at the moment in a nice way. Other than work I have been out with family and last night went to Club Academy with my daughter, sister-in-law and an old friend to see Bowling For Soup (for the 6th time) who I simply love. Didn't get in till the early hours so tired today.
This card is one I made at the weekend for my BFF who now lives in Australia (miss you Caroline)
The image is a digital one that my hubby has performed some magic jiggery pokery on with his graphics tablet to make the image look as though she is walking through the flowers. The image is coloured with ProMarkers and has a little glamour dust scattered here and there, the edges are softened with yellow ink and I have used a flourish stamp on the corners. The background paper is from Nitwit Designs and is the new collection that has just been released I used a Martha Stewart border punch to create some texture to the bottom edge. I like the bright yellows on this card as it seems to match the lovely sunny weather that we have been having.
Hope you are all well and happy

Kietha xx

Sunday 18 March 2012

Pretty In Pink

Just a quick post this evening with a card I made for one of my niece's birthday's a few weeks ago
The image is Lili of the Valley and has been coloured with ProMarkers and has had Glamour Dust liberally applied to the skirt and hairband. All the papers and card are from my stash the border punch is a Fiskars one which I have had for years but sadly I hardly ever use. The little flowers scattered over the image are the punched out flowers from the border, I coloured them with ProMarkers and then added little yellow gems to their centres.
I am entering this into the following challenge:
LOTV's Ideas to Inspire - National Craft Month Entries - Mum or Pink theme

Hope you have all had a good weekend, shame it passes so quickly.

Kietha xx

Friday 16 March 2012

That Friday Feeling

I do have a card to share tonight but firstly isn't it wonderful that it is Friday the endless possibilities of a whole weekend laying before us. As for me I am doing my mother day visits tomorrow firstly to my mum-in-law who doesn't live too far away and then a longer journey to see my mum who lives in a nursing home about 25 miles away. This is so that I can spend Sunday with my own daughter who lives away at Uni. she also isn't miles away but has her own life and is busy with her study's (or so she tells me) so it's been a few weeks since I last saw her so am looking forward to some girly catch up time. I also have some cards to make for work friends and would like to have these wrapped up this weekend as I have a lot of family birthday's approaching and need to get busy. I am still on my countdown to part time working just two more weeks to go and then yay!! a day off in the week to do with what I wish, I can't wait :o)
Anyway onto the card this is for my mum-in-law and is one I completed last weekend.

 The image is Fizzy Moon Blooms and Butterflies which I have coloured with my ProMarkers and added a little glamour dust to the butterflies, the ribbon on the bouquet and the tummy button. I have softened the edges of the image with chalks then matted it onto some pale green card from my stash. The background paper is from a 6x6 paper cellar patterned papers pad, the lace is from The Ribbon Girl and the ribbon is some that I purchased last year in a sale at Paperchase if I remember correctly. The heart I cut out by hand after drawing around a template I then edged this with glamour dust (you can never have too much of this stuff) the sentiment I have hand written as I didn't have anything that would fit onto the space I had available to stamp. The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch that I have punched from pink vellum and placed some little gems along the body, the blue flowers are actually snowflakes from the Memory Box Frosty Border die I thought their shape echoed the shape of the flowers on the image and I'm really pleased with how they look, the flower centres are little buttons from my stash.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Totally Gorjuss - Challenge 122 - anything goes with a button!
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes!
I love ProMarkers  - Challenge #108 - Anything Goes


Tuesday 13 March 2012

I am here

Just in case you thought I had gone AWOL I haven't it's just that I'm busy, busy, busy at the moment. I have been making some cards so hopefully will have time to share them with you later on in the week or at the weekend at the latest. Hope you are all having a good crafty week.

Kietha x

Wednesday 7 March 2012

I'm tired this evening

Well the title says it all, it's not quite 8:30 and my eyes are already feeling heavy (not helped by hubby snoring on the sofa lol), this is what shift working does for you. Was on a late last night so got home around 9:45 and of course am wide awake and buzzing so must have been 11:30 before I climbed the wooden hill to bed and then had quite a restless night for some reason. Then early shift today so up at 5:30 so I think its just catching up with me now (and hubby). On the plus side of things I had it confirmed today by my manager that I can reduce my hours to 30 a week from 2nd April yay!!! I am so looking forward to a crafty day at home during the week.
Anyway enough rambling as I do have a card to share, this is one I made at the weekend for one of my work friends to give to her mum.

The image is from Lili of the Valley and is one of the designs from the image stack that came free with this month's Papercraft Inspirations magazine (think I will have to add this to my wish list), which I have coloured with ProMarkers, inked the edges to soften them a little and the matted onto Kraft card. The papers are from Nitwit Collections, the sentiment is from a small clear stamp set that I purchased from Hobbycraft ages ago. I made the flowers using a Marianne die cut using pink pearlised card and placing two of each size flower together to create a layer of petals. I then embossed the centres with a ball tool so that the petals were raised slightly from the centre area and so have some dimension, the buttons that form the flower centres are from my stash and were cut from an old pair of socks believe it or not. I then finished the card off by adding a Martha Stewart punched butterfly punched from some pale pink vellum, a few gems and some bakers twine for the flower centres.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Dream Valley Challenges - Challenge 27 - Mothers Day
Craft Your Days Away - Challenge #40 - Mothers Day
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Mothers Day/Special Girl
Passion for ProMarkers - Week 139 - For Mum/female relative
Oldie But A Goodie - Mum's The Word
CES Challenge - Challenge #75 - Flower Frenzy!
Kaboodle Doodles - Challenge #109 - Think Spring
A Gem of A Challenge - Challenge 41.....Perfect Pastels
Crafty Catz - Challenge 122 - Punches and Dies
Stampin' for the Weekend - Challenge 4 Bingo! (Pink, Butterflies, Die Cuts)
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Craft your passion - Anything Goes
PaperCrafting Journey - Challenge 4 - Anything Goes!

Monday 5 March 2012

Wow!

It just goes to show what a difference being organised can make, not only have a managed to complete three cards this weekend (yes three when I normally only average one), but two blog posts as well. The card below is one that I made yesterday and is as I type in the post on it's way to an old friend who celebrates a birthday later this week.
The flower images are from the Stampendous clear stamp set Flower Box, these I stamped onto white card and coloured with Promarkers then cut around before layering onto some orange card from my stash. The stamens have little self adhesive pearls attached to them that I got from Handy Hippo, I love the colour, they come from a sheet of mixed colours and are available in two different sizes. The papers I have used is from Nitwit Collections, the lace and bakers twine from The Ribbon Girl the button is from my stash.
I hope you all have a good day, I am off to work shortly as working a late shift but hopefully will have time during the week to share another of my makes with you all.

Kietha xx

Sunday 4 March 2012

Happy Sunday Everyone

Hope you are all having a relaxing and crafty weekend. After the mega re-organization here last weekend it has been nice to actually sit and have a play :o) I am busily trying to complete Mother's Day cards not only for my own mum and mum-in-law  also some extra's for people at work to have a look at and hopefully like enough to buy (fingers crossed).
The card below I made a couple of weeks ago but hadn't got round to scanning and posting.
The image is from Whimsy Stamps (Wee Suzi), which I haven't owned for very long and this is in fact the first time I had inked her up, I have to say she is a joy to colour (I do love colouring) I have coloured her with ProMarkers, inked the card edges slightly to soften them and then matted her onto Kraft card. The tag is more Kraft card which I cut out by hand, inked the edges and then stamped a flower design onto it, the flower stamp is a large Penny Black which I have had for years. Punched a little hole at the top and threaded some baker's twine through. The background papers is from Nitwit Collections I love their range of digital papers and am slowly adding to my collection (the joy of digital papers is of course they take no room to store and you never run out), the paper I have again softened at the edges ans layered onto some Kraft card added some cream lace from The Ribbon Girl as is the bakers twine used on the tag and there you have it card complete. This card came together like a dream, I do wish that would happen more often as I do tend to struggle with putting my paper and card colour pallets together.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:


The Cuttlebug Spot - Spring is in the Air
Crafts And Me Challenges - Challenge 73 - Pretty In Lace
PaperPlay Challenges: '12 - Week 9 - Something Old, Something New (new stamp 'Wee Suzy', old stamp 'Penny Black')
Paper Crafting Journey - PCJ Challenge 4 - Anything Goes!
Sweet Stampin' - Nature, Bugs & Bees


I have a bit of an addiction to this colour combo. at the moment so don't be surprised if you see a lot more of these appearing here lol. Have a great Sunday everyone and enjoy whatever it is you have planned for the day.

Kietha x

Sunday 26 February 2012

Crafty Sort Out

Well what a busy weekend and I've not even had chance to have a crafty play BUT I do have loads of new stuff :o) If any of you are anything like me you have to use the dining table as a craft space and this means that a lot of things are not to hand but instead I waste a lot of time up and down getting what I need as I play and idea's are going through my mind. This is a bit of a pain to say the least as this doesn't only involve rummaging through a very overcrowded stair cupboard but also trips up and down the kitchen to the utility room as that is where I keep all my card, stickers, paper etc. Anyway with the help of my lovely and very understanding hubby I have had a mega sort out and tidy. First was a visit to Hobbycraft and two tall sets of drawers on wheels, then a mega empty out of under the stairs then hubby removed the shelves and gave it a fresh lick of paint. While he was doing that I sorted out all my cards and papers (lots of stroking and drooling as I discovered forgotten gems) and placed them by colour into the drawers, then did the same with my stamps, inks, embossing powders, punches etc. The end result of this weekends work is that all my stash is sorted and organised, the majority of it is all in one place, I once more know what I have and more importantly haven't got lol. The under stairs cupboard (which by the way just in case you were wondering is of the large walk in variety not the little pokey on your hands and knees sort) is tidy with plenty of shelving all at a good height for vertically challenged me and I am really chuffed if slightly knackered (I keep opening the door and staring at it). On top of this hubby paid for me to have a stash spending spree yesterday so I have some new stamps, distress inks. essentials such as glue & tape, some lovely embellishment's, a load of ProMarkers (nearly have a complete set now), ribbon and yet more paper (note to self - I really do not need any more papers).

There is a reason behind all of this and that is that I am going to reduce my working hours very shortly (partly due to a health scare last summer which although is mostly resolved does let itself be known that it hasn't gone away completely, things like that make you re-evaluate what is important). This means that as well as a reduced income that I will have a day off in the week, my plans for that day is that I use it to make cards to sell to my work colleagues, family and friends so as to generate a little money to either replace or increase my stash. I have made cards for sale in the past or people have asked me to make cards for them but I stopped doing this as I found I was getting stressed about meeting the deadlines when also working full time, working strange shifts and felt that by crafting when I was tired I wasn't producing cards that I was proud to put my name to and it made me lose the pleasure and had become a chore.
So this weekend was my final blow out, I already have a few orders from people at work and am looking forward to the challenge of producing the kind of cards they have asked for, as well as the extra time at home and the extra crafty time it will give me.

I have some cards to share with everyone later in the week just haven't got round to scanning and posting them yet, hope you all had a good weekend and have a good week whatever you may be doing.

Kietha xx

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Back to normal

Well holiday is over, that week really flew by and the weather is a little warmer although windy here in sunny Cheshire. One of the joys of being home though is that all my crafty stuff is here so the dining table is once again hidden under a mountain of card, glue, glitter etc. much to the cats delight as she loves sitting on just the exact bit of card or ribbon that you want. It's an uncanny gift that most cats possess. Anyway in-spite of the cat I do have a card to share with you.


The main image is a penny black stickeroo mounted onto white card that I have tinted the edges of with some red ink this is then mounted onto black card. The heart was made using a Fiskars template which I then embossed using my Cuttlebug and edged with red stickles. The flowery background paper is from the Paper Cellar pad black and white, the heart and x design I made myself using a Hero Arts alphabet set that I inked and stamped onto white card before cutting to size. These papers I have layered onto a red background and have then attached the heart with foam pads to create a little bit of dimension.
I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Penny Black Saturday Challenge.....Week 188 - Love and Kisses
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Black & White & Red all over
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #172 - Red, White & Black with texture (the dry embossed heart)
Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge PWC 192 - Texture
The Stamp Man - Texture
CES Challenge #72 - Lots of Layers - 3 or more!
Allsorts Challenge  Week 141 - Free and Easy February
Scrapbook Sisters No 70 - Anything Goes
Craft Us Crazy #20 - Anything Goes

Thursday 9 February 2012

Holy Island

No card to show you, just a brief explanation on my absence which is because I'm on holiday on the wonderful Holy Island of Lindisfarne, having a very lazy, relaxing week. Will be back to normal life again next week so will hopefully have a card to share then.
Hope everyone is having a good week and staying safe and warm in this very cold weather xx

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Almost the weekend

Well it's the middle of the working week so only two more days before the weekend yay!! why is it that the week days seem so long and the weekends so short? Well I have completed another card today, seem to be managing one a week at the moment which is better than none but really would like it to be more, will have to readjust my time management skills me thinks. it would also most probably help if I got out of bed a little earlier when I am on a late shift and do something productive with the time lol.
Anyway here is my card for this week
 sorry that the image is a little blurred but I scanned it and because the flowers held the card itself slightly away from the surface of the scanner it has blurred the image.
The image is of course Penny Black coloured with ProMarkers, the flower centre and bumble bee's wings have been highlighted with glamour dust, all the card and paper is from my stash. The frame and swirl are die cuts made using my Cuttlebug, the pearls and flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, the corners are peel off's that I have coloured and the butterflies are punched from yellow card then coloured using distress ink and their edges highlighted with Promarker with little pearls added for their bodies. The scanned image doesn't really show their true colour they look orange/peachy colour in the pic. but in real life they are actually a pinky colour.
I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Penny Black Saturday Challenge Week 185 - Crafty Bargains (my increased ProMarker stash - 3 for £5 from one of my local craftshops)
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Happy Highlights (the glamour dust on the bumble bee's wings and flower centre)
Hotshot Craft blog Challenge #3 - Flowers
Sentimental Sundays Challenge #86 Die Cuts (the frame and the swirl)
Simon Says Anything Goes!
Creative Inspirations Anything Goes!

Monday 16 January 2012

Not sure

That's how I feel about this card. I am not quite sure on how it has turned out, don't get me wrong I do like it but just something about it doesn't seem quite right but just can't really figure out what.


Oh well! too late now. The image I have used is Penny Black - Cat on the moon which I have coloured with Promarkers and then cut out, the sentiment stamp is one I have had for more years than I care to remember and hasn't seen ink for a long long time it's by Stampendous but not sure whether you can still purchase it or not. The colour scheme is Pink and Blue which is this months challenge over at the Ribbon Girl. All the papers and little gems etc. are from my stash as is the strip of ribbon along the bottom of the card.
I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Passion for ProMarkers -  Week 131 -Inspired by a song (When you wish upon a star)
Totally Gorjuss - Challenge 114 - be a star
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Week 184 - Anything Goes!
The Ribbon Girl - Challenge No 15 - Blue and Pink
Crafty Cardmakers - Challenge #59 - No Floral Embellishments
Stampin' for the Weekend - Challenge 24 - Out with the old ( The sentiment stamp which is years old)


Thursday 12 January 2012

Not quite the weekend

Well I promised another post over the weekend which I didn't achieve (sorry) but this is only 4 days later not 4 months so I hope I can be forgiven.
Even better I have actually got a card to share with you all........yay!!


I have used the Case It challenge over at Penny Black Saturday Challenge for inspiration using a Penny Black Stickeroo and then matting a layering scrap papers from my stash. The stars I cut out by hand as I don't seem to own a star punch (something else to add to my wish list) after drawing the shapes from templates. The bit of bling in the top left corner is constructed from little shiny peel off's as I don't have any of the rhinestone swirls that you can buy (something else for the wish list). Anyway I hope you like the first card that I have shared with you for a long time (too long) and promise it is only the first of many. Honest indian :o)

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - CASE-IT
Allsorts - Week 136....Paper Piecing

Friday 6 January 2012

Happy New Year

Happy 2012 to everyone in Blog land I hope that the forthcoming year is full of happiness and health for you all. I am sorry for my long absence away for which I have no excuse but promise to turn over a new leaf with the new year and start to share my crafty creations with the world once again. To get everyone off to a fabulous start to the year the wonderful people at handy hippo have got a great give away to kick the new year off with a bang. They are giving to one lucky person 20, yes that's 20 Promarker's in any colour of your choice this is to celebrate the fact that they have now started selling single Promarker's in their shop so if you want to have a chance to win this fabulous prize then just click on the following link for more info. win 20 promarker's from handy hippo
What a great start to a new year.
I will post again over the weekend (promise) and you never know I may just have a card to share with you all and may also enter a few challenges.