Make the Day Special November sketch challenge

Sketch challenges are my favourite kind, both in cardmaking and scrapbooking, so I was very excited to see this month's Make the Day Special challenge!

Here's my card, using Mama Elephant Cozy Christmas and Reindeer Games stamps, Mama Elephant Merry die, Lawn Fawn border dies and Deck the Halls stamps. And a Distress Ink blended background on the tag.

I was really pleased with it so I made another card based on it, using almost the same techniques and supplies. I cut the aperture in this card blank a while ago to make a reindeer spinner card, but I re-purposed it instead!

Reindeer Games

The Reindeer Games stamps by Mama Elephant are honestly the cutest set of Christmas stamps I've ever seen! Here's what I've been making so far...

You can see the Snow Capped Mountains die also fell into my basket when I bought the reindeer, but it does make a perfect backdrop for them!

And on this card I also used the garland frame from the Mama Elephant Charmed set, and die cut the "merry" from canvas paper. (this die also fell into my shopping basket!) The background stamp is by Lawn Fawn, I was lucky enough to win a gift card from their Instagram page and this is what I chose, thanks Lawn Fawn!

Fame!

A bit of fame to report, I was picked to be "Designer for the Day" at Papercrafter Magazine! So my Christmas card using the supplies I was sent got a whole page in this month's magazine. You can also see my card in detail on their blog here!

I made this similar card recently too, using a cute Whimsy Stamps greeting and a Studio Calico background stamp, and the same embossing/Distress Ink resist technique.

Make the Day Special October Challenge

I've got to admit to having purchased quite a lot of new Christmas stamps this year, more than I'm sure I'll need, but they're all pretty cute. My favourite at the moment (as well as the rest of the crafting world!) are these Mama Elephant Reindeer. The Make the Day Special October challenge is "Anything But a Card" and when I first saw the stamps, I thought the little city skyline would be perfect for some little gift tags, so that's what I've made!

I've stamped these onto die-cut circles of watercolour paper, and coloured the reindeer with Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens, and the backgrounds are Distress Ink watercoloured (Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, Chipped Sapphire). Finished off with some bakers twine.

I have been making lots of cards recently, but life seems to get in the way of blogging about them. But they are all on my Instagram :)

I'm in love...

I'm in love with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens. Seriously in love, they're amazing! It was a long three week wait from Japan for them to arrive, but totally worth it if anyone's still thinking about it. They have really great bold colours, and they watercolour up so beautifully and smoothly. The thing I've never quite liked about watercolour pencils and Inktense pencils is that I find it hard to blend the pencil marks. You definitely don't get that with these. So yeah, I love them!

Here's a card I made this week using the pens, and the stamps are Avery Elle Tweet Tweet.

The sentiment is actually from Avery Elle Swim Team, I haven't used these stamps properly yet, they're next on my list for using with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens!

Make the Day Special - September Challenge

The challenge at Make the Day Special this month to use an autumn colour combos. I've had a go at the third set, inspired by some autumn leaves:

The stamps are Lawn Fawn (coloured with Inktense pencils) and my favourite Mama Elephant banner (coloured with Zig Clean Color Real Brush). I've watercoloured a background with the Zig pens too, and then Die-Cut the zig-zags with a MFT Die-Namics die. This is a card for my mother-in-law, we're off for birthday afternoon tea later today!

Make the Day Special August Challenge

It's my favourite kind of challenge at Make The Day Special this month, a sketch! Here's my interpretation using the Avery Elle Tweet Tweet stamps I bought using my voucher for winning last month's challenge. I love these stamps! :)

I've used Inktense pencils to colour the birds (still practicing with these!), and Distress Inks to stencil the background and also watercolour the background to the bird perches. The stitching is using an American Crafts Amy Tan template.

Over the Rainbow

I was really lucky to win one of July's Lollipop Box Club kits on Instagram, called "Over the Rainbow". And I absolutely love it, full of awesome rainbow things that I couldn't wait to use. (My 2 1/2 year old also loved it, I've got high hopes for her being as big a fan of all things crafty and papery as I am!) I decided to use the rainbow card as a starting point for this page and extend it onto my cardstock. The clouds from the kit I used as a stencil first, and stapled them on after, And the couple of patterned papers I used are from my scraps box. The photo is one from our holiday in Devon in June.

This next layout isn't from the kit, but it's almost as colourful so I thought I'd add it here too. I think most of this is from an old Studio Calico kit. This is my crazy daughter almost getting herself lodged into my friend's daughter's walker!

Recent cards

Just sharing a couple of cards I've made recently. My favourite app by far is Instagram, I find it quicker and easier to use than Pinterest for inspiration, so both of these cards were inspired by things I've found on there.

For one of my best friends on 28th July:

And one for my husband's birthday on 29th July:

July was a busy birthday month for us, and the 21st was mine! I was very lucky because my lovely mum bought me Inktense pencils which I have been after for a long time. I have had a little play with these, but really need a bit more practice with these. I have seen some amazing colouring with them though so I definitely want to master them!

Today I was absolutely thrilled to win July's Make the Day Special challenge with my narwhal card! Now I'm off to spend my voucher :)

Make the Day Special July Challenge!

A really interesting challenge this month at Make The Day Special, to use your Christmas stamps to make an "anything but Christmas" card! So I dug out all my favourite Lawn Fawn sets and had a play, and came up with this beach scene. It was definitely a challenge, but fun too - any excuse to use that narwhal! (obviously not usually found at the beach, the clue is in the "Critters in the Arctic" name, but never mind!)

I have used stamps from three different sets for this: Critters in the Arctic, Joy to the Woods and Deck the Halls. The shell is a sideways Christmas ornament, I think I've got away with it! And the birthday sentiment is of course not from a Christmas set, it's by Avery Elle, and I've stamped in pink and added Glossy Accents which has smudged slightly :(

Like I said, definitely a fun card to make! Thanks for stopping by!

Mama Elephant Charmed

So these may just be my new favourite stamps, Mama Elephant Charmed, they're just so beautiful!

Here's my first card using them, using more Distress Ink watercolour smooshing. I wet the background more here than last time so there's more of a watery look to it. 

When I was last in Cardiff at my favourite pen and paper shop, I bought 3 Copic Ciao markers to play with, having always been a Promarker user. I have to say, I loved using them! The ink comes out of the nib so much softer and blends really nicely. I think I will have to start the process of changing over! You can see the minty green colours I bought on the banner of this card.

I haven't been posting on my blog much recently but have definitely been crafting! I've been trying to take part in the 30 day stamping challenge on Instagram (only missed one or two so far!) and I also went on a scrapbooking workshop weekend at the beginning of the month. And there's also a special project I'm making for my husband for Father's Day, which I haven't finished yet with only a couple of days to go so I'm panicking a bit, and am in my craft room pretty much every evening at the moment!

Make the Day Special June Challenge

A beautiful summery colour combo challenge this month at Make the Day Special.

I've chosen the right hand combo for my card. The stamp is Mama Elephant, the "Happy Birthday" is L'il Inker, and you can just about see the Lawn Fawn cloud border does on the vellum underneath!

I've been really enjoying playing with Distress Inks and watercolours recently, there's so much inspiration on YouTube and I often I lose track of time just watching them all! This background is smooshed with Distress Inks onto watercolour paper. 

A Gnome

I picked up this awesome Lawn Fawn Gnome Sweet Gnome set second hand and was eager to play over the weekend. I have no idea who the recipient of this card will be, perhaps it's just me that thinks garden gnomes are cool!

The Journalling card and the happy birthday dies are both Lawn Fawn too. The gnome is coloured with Promarkers, and I used Distress Ink for the background. The papers are Simple Stories. 

All Kinds of Everything

Please excuse the post title in honour of Eurovision, my second favourite TV event of the year (after Strictly Come Dancing). This is going to a bit of a catch up post as I've been awol for a couple of weeks!

We went to a fab wedding yesterday, my husband's cousin. Here's the card I made them using a Doodlebug stamp set:

 

They had a fun photo booth at the wedding, something I've always wanted to do. Here's me and the husband!

I've been scrapbooking recently a bit too, trying to complete my daughters age 1-2 album, which is now so heavy and doesn't close properly! I've been trying to use a stamp or a die on every layout I make as I own so many now, this one features a Mama Elephant sheep stamp and a Lawn Fawn sun die cut:

And finally a bit of new stash, because why not?!

Oh and I should also mention I was featured in Quick Cards Made Easy magazine this month and won a lovely Tonic Studios prize!

So like I said, a bit of all sorts there. Thanks for reading!

Make the Day Special May Challenge

Not wasting any time with this one, I got stuck straight into the May challenge from Make the Day Special. My favourite kind of challenge this time, a sketch!

I've used my awesome brand new Mama Elephant Cupcake Carnival stamps and banner die (this months pay day treat to myself!) plus the Mama Elephant "happy" die, Lawn Fawn Journalling Card dies and Lawn Fawn paper. And a bit of Distress Ink with a Memory Box grid mask.

Thanks for stopping by!

Busy (and a new Sizzix Big Shot Plus!)

I've had barely no time to craft over the last couple of weeks, it doesn't feel good! When I'm not at work Ivy is dragging me around the house or dancing or running around and demanding attention and it's exhausting! (Don't get me wrong, she's completely amazing and cute and funny and crazy and beautiful, but exhausting!) I especially would love some free time to have a proper play with my new toy to replace my poor old Cuttlebug, it's a Sizzix Big Shot Plus! It's so pretty, I'm a lucky crafter! (Also look at my lovely new stamp/die storage basket, so organised!)  Apologies for the dark late-night photo...

I did manage a quick layout at the weekend so I have something to share. This one is a photo of Ivy after we took the sides off her cotbed last year, she was really excited and didn't want to wait until bed time to test it out!

I set myself a little challenge to use die-cutting on every layout I make, I squeezed it in here with the Lawn Fawn clouds and Sizzix journalling block!

Make the Day Special April Challenge

Make the Day Special have a really fun challenge this month, a bingo card of elements to choose from!

I have gone with the middle row; dry embossing, circles and bling/sequins. I love this little Avery Elle Ellie stamp, so cute! The happy birthday die, the circle dies and the papers are all Lawn Fawn. The awesome embossing folder is by Dear Lizzy. 

This is going to be a birthday card for my friend's beautiful daughter who is 1 next week, and her name coincidentally is Ellie. Had to be done, didn't it!

Up and Away!

Can you get much cuter or happy than these Mama Elephant Up and Away stamps? Here's a card I made last night, also using the Lawn Fawn journaling card and MME papers. Coloured with Promarkers.

I also tried out my new smooth watercolour paper with Avery Elle's Ellie and Distress Inks. Pretty happy with it except the ink bled on the balloon because it was too wet, lesson learnt for next time!

My first shaker card!

I seem to be spending far too much time on Instagram and Pintrest recently admiring the amazing cards other people have made. Really inspirational although not so good for the bank balance to see all the awesome stamps and dies being used that I don't currently own (more on that later!) So shaker cards are big at the moment, and I love any excuse to use sequins so I've tried my own using my current favourite Wplus9 Bubble Talk elephant again.

I've watercoloured him with Black Soot Dostress Ink. The paper and circle dies are from Lawn Fawn. I'm happy with how he's turned out even if the sequins seem to stick round the edges and the watercolour card is a bit too off-white for my liking.

So to remedy this for next time, I visited my favourite art shop in Cardiff to get some lovely smooth white watercolour card for next time! 

I picked up that fab new Cracked Pistachio and a couple of others at the NEC Hobbycrafts show last weekend, and maybe a few more lovely bits too...

A mixture of online and NEC purchases here. I love the Avery Elle elephant and I've wanted the Mama Elephant Up and Away stamps for a while now! Safe to say I'm a very happy crafter and just waiting for a few free evenings to get stuck in. A two year old and a full time job do get in the way!

Make The Day Special March challenge

If I'm honest, colour challenges are not usually my thing. I much prefer a sketch or a theme. But this month's Make The Day Special blog challenge has some really fab colour options, and actually it was a great excuse to have a dig through my paper scraps bag! I used the darker colour scheme of the three, and my lovely Wplus9 bubble talk elephant stamps and dies, and my always-favourite Lawn Fawn Finlay's ABCs.

  

He's coloured with Promarkers, but I was at the Hobbycrafts show at the NEC on Friday and picked up loads of new distress inks for the next elephant!

I was hoping to have a chance to try the other colour ways too before the challenge ended but time has run away with me. Mostly that I was in Dubai last weekend visiting my sister, can't really complain about that! 

Scrapping!

So I went to a crop last weekend and managed 3 layouts, and I'm pretty pleased with all of them! My Ivy aged 1-2 album is now so full it doesn't close properly and probably weighs more than she does. I think I'll allow myself to start some age 2 pages onwards now!

I had fun die-cutting circles for this one. Had to be done really with a "bubbles" photo, didn't it?!

This photo amuses me. We were packing for a weekend away in Barcelona without her and she jumped into my suitcase, strapped herself in and starts using my toothbrush! Kids are funny!

And Ivy's birthday present, which now lives outside of course!

Thanks for stopping by!

PS- I'm honoured to be chosen as a runner up in the Make The Day Special February challenge, thanks for that. I'm working on March as we speak!

Elephants

So like the rest of the cardmaking world, I fell completely in love with these Wplus9 elephant stamps. Just so ridiculously cute, and versatile too! Seeing all the beautiful cards people have been making has inspired me to dig out my watercolours which had long been stashed away. (Verdict: need a lot more practice before I show my efforts in public!) And I've also got a long list of Distress Inks and Markers to buy at the NEC show later this month. But for now I've just gone with Promarkers and a simple Distress Ink / Heidi Swapp stencil background.

Leftovers!

Last night I did a bit of late night scrapping...

This layout is a scraplift of one I had seen on Pinterest but for the life of me can't find now! 

When I saw the leftovers from the sunbeam on the layout I thought they'd made a pretty cool but quick card, so here it is. 

The papers I've used are some older Dear Lizzy Neopolitan, and then an assortment of things and Mr Huey mists on the layout, and my favourite WPlus9 stamps and Mama Elephant "happy" die in the card. 

Today was a happy mail day, I received my awesome cute WPlus9 bubble talk elephants from Make The Day Special, can't wait to play with these!