Free Digi Stamps

Good morning everyone,

If you love digi stamps then it could be well worth your time checking out the freebies at Cuddly Buddly.

Kim added a whole load of new free digi stamps to the website yesterday and you can find them here.

Enjoy!

Clare xx

Autumn Tag

Good morning everyone,

I have made a tag to enter into four challenges this month:-

Dragonsdream Tag it On: "Autumn"

Crafty Calendar Challenge "Autumn" with the optional extra of plants and vegetation.

By the Cute and Girly "Autumn Glory

One Stop Craft Challenge "Autumn Inspiration"

Here's what I used to make this tag:-

Basic white cardstock cut to a tag shape.
Tim Holtz Distress Inks to create the background - Shabby Shutters, Aged Mahogany & Peeled Paint
Leaf punch - to make a stencil
Brilliance inks for leaves - Cosmic Copper and Pearlescent Olive, I also inked the edges of the tag with Cosmic Copper
Foliage - Inkadinkadoo stamp (stamped with black Stazon)
Pear - Stampin' Up "Ageless Adornment" set, coloured with Distress Inks (colours listed above) and heat embossed using Versamark and clear embossing powder

Thank you taking the time to visit my blog today and for any comments you may leave.

Clare xx

Cuddly Buddly challenges

Good morning everyone.

Did you know that Cuddly Buddly hold three monthly challenges?

One is a card challenge, the second is an ATC challenge and the third is an Embellishment challenge. Two of these challenges offer the prize of a £5 Cuddly Buddly voucher. You will need to use Cuddly Buddly stamps or images for the card and ATC challenges, but don't worry if you don't have any, you can get some free images here and you can find the October challenges here.

I'm going to try the ATC challenge this month as I have never made one before.

Hugs, Clare x

Poppies

Good evening everyone.

Firsty I must apologise for my limited blogging and commenting this week. I have had a lovely week with my Mum visiting from France and, of course, I wanted to spend as much of my time as possible with her. She left for home this morning and I then spent most of the day at the Artisan Bead and Staming show at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre. I will try and catch up with your blogs over the next couple of days.

Here is another card I have made for Cuddly Buddly

and this is what I used to make it:-

Stamp: Poppies Roundel (Cuddly Buddly)
Colouring Medium: Copic Ciaos
Tools: Scoring Board, Circle nestabilities (small and large), corner punch rounder, Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" embossing folder
Cardstock: Die Cuts with a View
Accessories: Ivory pearls coloured with a Copic Ciao, White Inksentials pen, Sakura clear glaze pen

Thank you for visiting my blog today and for any comment you may leave.

I hope you have enjoyed your weekend.

Clare xx

Pink Daisies

Good morning everyone.

Here is my second card for Cuddly Buddly. I am entering it into the following challenges:-

Creative Card Crew - "All That Sparkles"

Charisma Cardz Challenge - "Decoupage"

(please click on the picture to see the sparkly bits)

I love making these "nestie" cards. I first cut my base card, I fold a piece of card over and then line up my nestie so that it does not cut part of the card spine, I am then left with a card I can open but which is missing some of the scallops, so that this doesn't show I cut a single layer of the same nestie and stick it over the card base (I hope my waffle makes sense).

Here's what I used to make this card:-

Stamps: "Daisies" and "Round Greetings" (both are Cuddly Buddly stamps)
Colouring medium: Copic Ciaos, Ranger Inksentials white pen
Tools: Spellbinders ribbon tag and round and scallop round nestabilities
Accessories: Glamour dust, ribbon, gems
Paper: K&Co – Sparkly Sweet

Thank you for visiting my blog today and for any comments you may leave, I love to read them and they brighten my day.

Have a lovely day!

Clare xx

Our Creative Corner & A Spoonful of Sugar

Good morning everyone, it is fabulous weather again here today.

I have made my first card for Cuddly Buddly in my role as a Fabulously Crafty Friend and I am entering it into this week's challenge at Our Creative Corner where the theme is "Monochromatic Mania" and this week's challenge at A Spoonful of Sugar where the theme is "Christmas".

(Click on the photo if you want to see the sparkle)

Here's what I used to make this card:-

Stamps: Image "It's For You" and Senitment "Christmas Greetings" both from Cuddly Buddly
Digital papers: "Winter Frost" from Cuddly Buddly
Colouring Medium: Prismacolor pencils and Sansador
Tools: Scallop Circle and Circle nestabilities
Accessories: Ribbon (from Cuddly Buddly) and Glamour Dust

Thank you for visiting my blog today and for any comments you may leave.

Have a lovely day.

Clare xx

Cuddly Buddly Bear

Good morning everyone!

It's the weekend, yay! I was promised a lie in this morning, so of course I was wide awake at 6am!

I am excited today as my Mum is coming over from France to visit us for a week.

I have made a card to enter four challenges this week - that is a record for me:-

Pile it on - Punches
Paper Makeup Stamps - Getting Punchy
Polkadoodles - Digi Colouring
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Animal Antics

Here's what I used to make this card:-

Digi Stamp: Cuddly Buddly Hug 1 from Teddy Bear Romance
Stamp: Sentiment from Cuddly Buddly Puppy Greetings

Digi Papers: Cuddly Buddly Fairy Fun Papers (multi)

Colouring Medium: Promarkers (pastel set), Dovecraft decorative chalks (pastel), white Inksential pen
Tools: Large Scallop Circle Nestabilities, Large Circle Nestabilities, Dovecraft Jumbo (2") Daisy Punch, Cuttlebug dies 2" x 2" - Vintage Corners, circle punch, piercing tool

All items used to make this card are available at Cuddly Buddly.

Thank you for visiting my blog today, have a wonderful weekend.

Hugs, Clare xx

Good morning everyone!

I would like to say a very big thank you to Sara (Sara Stamper) for this fabulous award. I am honoured to receive it.

The rules of the award are that I have to share 5 things that I am addicted to and then pass on the award to 5 other blogs that I love:

Here goes, these are my top five addictions:-

1. My gorgeous, wonderful son
2. Crafting and craft shopping - mainly on the internet
3. The internet - blogging mainly
4. Tea - I drink far too much of the stuff
5. Reading - as much as I can

I would like to pass this award to my fellow brand new Cuddly Buddly "Fabulously Crafty Friends":-

Annie
Chrissie
Jackie
Penni
Saskia

Thank you for visiting my blog and enjoy your day.

Hugs, Clare xx

Passion for Papertrey

Good morning everyone! It's another glorious Indian Summer day here in Warwickshire.

I am finally able to enter a challenge at A Passion for Papertrey. The theme this week is Birthday Bash.

I have used the Papertrey stamp set "Everyday Button Bits" for both the image and the sentiment.

The gorgeous DP is from Cuddly Buddly and is one of their free downloads, which you can find here.

Here's what I used to make this card:-

Stamps: Image and Sentiment Papertrey Ink "Everyday Button Bits"
Ink: Brilliance "Thyme" and "Pearlescent Purple"
DP: Cuddly Buddly
Tools: Nestabilities "Square" and "Label Trio", Martha Stewart "Doily Lace" punch, X-cut large daisy punch, small flower punches from a Create and Craft set
Accessories: Hero Arts pearls, other pearl from ebay and ribbon from Dunelm Mill

Thank you for visiting my blog today and for any much appreciated comment you may leave.

I hope you have a great day!

Clare xx

Die Cut Dreams

It's raining "Men!!", that's the theme at Die Cut Dreams this week, where you are asked to make anything male themed.

I've made a card for my brother in law who has his birthday next weekend. I nearly didn't post this as I could not get a good photo, you can see my reflection in the miri card! I find it quite hard to make cards for male family members. (I bought a card for my Brother's birthday this year - shock, horror!).

Thank you for visiting my blog today.

Hugs, Clare xx

p.s. has Mr Blogger stolen everyone's followers today?

Stamp with Us

Good morning everyone.

This is my first time joining the challenge at Stamp with Us.

This week the challenge is a recipe:-

NO PATTERNED PAPER
2 x RIBBONS
2 x STAMPS

I wanted to add a sentiment but that would have made three stamps! I hope I'm within the rules with the ribbon as I started with two pieces and cut one in half to add the strip under the image.

Here's what I used to make this card:-

Stamps: "En Francais" and " Ageless Adornment"
Colouring Medium: Tim Holtz Distress inks (image); background stamping Chocolate Chip and distressing So Saffron
Ribbon: So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie
Other: Holographic embossing powder - this covers the whole of the image but unfortunately it doesn't show on this photo :-(

Thank you for visiting my blog today. Have a lovely day whatever you are doing.

Clare xx

Allsorts and Card Patterns

Good morning everyone!

Yesterday evening I made a Christmas card following this week's sketch at Card Patterns. I am also entering this into the Allsorts challenge, where the theme this week is "Snowflakes in September".

(Click on the picture to enlarge it if you want to see the sparkle!)

Here's what I used to make this card:-

Stamp: from SU set "Polar Bears"

Digi Papers: "Winter Frost" from Cuddly Buddly

Colouring Medium: Copic Ciaos

Tools: Nestabilities Large Scallop Square and Square; Cuttlebug "Snowflake" embossing folder; Martha Stewart Snowflake punch

Accessories: Ribbon (from Dunelm), Glamour Dust, Papermania gem

Ink: Brilliance white ink to edge around the triangles of paper

Thank you for visiting my blog today and for any comment you may leave, they really do make my day.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Hugs, Clare xx

My Brilliant Cuddly Buddly news

Hello everyone,

I hinted in my post yesterday that I had some wonderful news to share with you.

I know you shouldn't blow your own trumpet, but I am too excited!

Ta, da!

The very talented Kim MacFarlane of Cuddly Buddly has been looking for some new friends to join her team of "Fabulously Crafty Friends". I love Kim's gorgeous stamps, both rubber and digi and applied as soon as I heard, you can imagine my delight when an email from Kim landed in my inbox asking if I would like to join her team of Fabulously Crafty Friends. Of course, I said yes, and I hope I do justice to her beautiful stamps and papers.

Hugs, Clare xx

Charisma Cardz "Flower Power"

Good morning everyone,

(please scroll down one post for my Twilight book giveaway).

Today's challenge at Charisma Cardz is "Flower Power". This is the excuse I needed to use my new "Everyday Button Bits" stamps from Papertrey Inc. I still haven't used any buttons with these stamps which shows how versatile they are.

Here's what I used to make this card:-

Stamps: Main image leaves and stems from Papertrey Ink "Everyday Button Bits; sentiment from Su "Oval All" set

Ink: Brilliance dewdrop and a Copic Cioa

Cardstock and DP: Die Cuts with a View and SU

Tools: Scor-pal; nestabilities, flower punches from a Create and Craft set; small circle punch, SU oval punches

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and thank you for any comment you may leave.

This morning I had some very good news, which has had me grinning from ear to ear, I hope to share it with you all soon.

Hugs, Clare xx

Cute Card Thursday - Strawberry Mint Julep

Hello,

Two posts in one morning, that's good for me! If you are interested in seeing the first post, please scroll down.

I'm afraid the ironing lost out this morning but I have made myself a promise to tackle it this evening! Instead I have made another card in an attempt to force my mojo to return.

I am entering it into this week's Cute Card Thursday challenge where the theme is Strawberry Mint Julep (use green and pink on your card).

Here's what I used to make this card:-

Stamps: from Papertrey set "Everyday Button Bits" (you can just about see the sentiment)

Ink: SU "So Saffron"

DP: SU "Tea Party"

CS: SU Kraft

Tools: Scorpal; Martha Stewart border punch, X-cut large and small circle punches

Accessories: bead from stash

Many thanks for visiting and taking a look.

Have a lovely day!

Clare xx

Crafty Creations - Embossing

Hello everyone.

Well I should be ironing, I finished all the holiday washing while the sun still shone but now there are piles or ironing everywhere and I am sure they are glaring at me!

However, the lure of the craft room was too great, even though I think I left my mojo on holiday - crafting is more like hard work at the moment and not as much fun as usual. I am sure things will get back to normal soon though.

To try and get my mojo going I decided to make a card for my wonderful partner and realised that it fits with this week's theme of embossing at "Crafty Creations Challenges". I used my Scor-pal to create a lattice embossed pattern on the card base. (Sorry the photo is so bad but you can just see it).

Here's what I used to make this card:-

Stamp: from SU set "A Little Bit of Happiness" (another ebay buy!), I stamped the image twice and cut and "popped" the hearts
Colour Medium: Polychromos with Sansador, Inksentials white gel pen and C1 Copic Ciao
Tools: Scor-pal, Martha Stewart Valentine punch
Accessories: Ribbon (Kanban)

Now ironing or a cup of tea and some toast? I think tea and toast as I will need lots of energy for ironing, I wonder how many more excuses I can come up with?!

Thank you for visiting me today and for any messages you may leave.

Hugs, Clare xx

Our Creative Corner

Hello,

I've finally found some time to spend in my craft room. Firstly I had a rush card as my OH informed me he needed a card to post today!! Secondly I made a card for a challenge. I must be out of practice as I got glue everywhere!

This card is for the current challenge at Our Creative Corner where the theme is to make a Fall/Autumn card.

Here's what I used to make this card:

Stamp: from SU set "A Little Bit of Happiness"
Cardstock: Die Cuts With a View
Ink: Memento "Rich Cocoa"; Tim Holtz Distress "Vintage Photo" and "Tea Dye"
Colour medium: Polychromos and Sansador
Tools: Big Shot (yes I got one!); Scallop Nestabilities; Heidi Swapp distress tool; paper piercer
Accessories: Brads and SU ribbon

Thank you for stopping by my blog and taking a look. I will be back to visit you soon!

Clare xx

Back from holiday

Hello everyone,

Just to let you know I am back from holiday. I can't believe how lucky we were with the weather. We had a lovely time and I had fun exploring some different craft shops!

I'm going to spend the weekend with my family but will be back visiting your blogs as soon as possible - I've missed you all!

Clare xx

Playful Petals distressed card

Good morning everyone,

I nearly didn't have a card today, this one has taken ages to come together and I almost abandoned it half way through. I'm glad I didn't because I like it now!

I am entering it into two challenges:-

Stampavie & More "Love", (#59) and

A Spoonful of Sugar "Distressing" (#67)

Here's what I used to make this card:

Cardstock: Die Cuts with a View
Paper: From a paperback (eek! don't be too mad with me)
Stamps: SU "Playful Petals" and "Yummy"
Colouring medium: Tim Holtz Distress inks "Aged Mahogany", "Peeled Paint" and "Antique Linen"
Tools: Nestabilties Labels (4 I think), Cuttlebug "Script" embossing folder
Accesories: Beads froms stash.

Thank you for taking a look at my card, I hope you like it. I thought it was about time I got my distress inks out again, I was missing them!

Have a great day, whatever you are doing, the sun is shining here and I am happy!

Hugs, Clare xx

Thank you for these awards

Good morning everyone.

I am a bad blogger who has left it far too long to say thank you for these awards. So I am making amends right now.

Thank you Sarah for this award:-

I have passed this one onto all my followers, but if you haven't picked it up yet, please do. You are all in my circle of friends.

Thank you Ali for this award:-

I would like to pass this to Vicky who makes great cards.

Thank you Katrina for this award:-

I would like to pass this on to Jacilynn. Your cards are such fun Jacilynn and they always make me smile.

I am so honoured to receive these awards, especially at times like now when my mojo has gone and left me. It makes me want to keep on blogging.

Hugs to all my followers and commenters. I hope you have a lovely day!

Clare xx