MAWTT Sketch challenge and DT CALL reminder

Good morning all

Brrr its a cold and snowy one here this morning - not the deep and crisp and even type!

But it's there with a promise of more to come

I hate snow!!

Funnily enough I don't mind getting wrapped up and walking in it, its the way it effects everything else, we live in a small cul de sac and its wondering if the car is going to go round the corner with you as you turn the wheels - or if it'll just do it's own thing, all the disruption and delays, nothing else on the news but snow!....

So I hope that you are warm where ever you are 

But onto today's challenge at 

Moving Along With The Times

Claire is our lovely hostess this week 

and has chosen a sketch theme for us

 my card using 

Autumn Attitude from The Paper Shelter - available here

and here is the sketch

you can rotate it anyway you like to fit your design

as you can see I pretty much stuck to it exactly

I like to follow a sketch - it means one less thing to think about!

Claire is also offering  a great prize for this weeks winner

Also just a reminder

We have a DT call going on at MAWTT

We'd love you to join us - MAWTT is such a friendly laid back team and we operate in two teams so your commitment would only be once every two weeks

take a look at the challenge blog HERE for full details

But back to today's card

Here's what I did......

Image - Autumn attitude from The Paper Shelter

Coloured with - copics and prismacolor pencils

Papers - Isabelle - first edition

Dies - Sizzix regal labels

Ribbon - from a docrafts pastels ribbon bag

Sentiment - its only words from ladybug crafts

Pearls - from my stash

Distress ink - TH teadye

Challenges I'm entering with this card

Simon says stamp - anything goes

It's Christmas at Fab'n'Funky Challenges

Good Morning all!

I certainly hope the weather is better where you are - its a very wet, dark, windy morning here on the north east coast.  Still - can't complain we've had some lovely bright days over the last couple of weeks and I've been out on some lovely walks with Glenn (my dog).  - I've just told him to go back to bed for now and we'll have an afternoon walk instead - hopefully!  

Today it's the turn of team Fab again over at 

Fab'n'Funky Challenges

we had some lovely entries last week for our 'Buttons It' challenge 

- and some lovely winners to match - hope you've checked to see if it was you

But it's time to do it all over again this week with a brand new challenge

Our lovely Helen is hosting for the first time since she joined us last year

and because it's the last challenge of the month the theme is

Christmas

so if you haven't started your Christmas cards yet - today's the day!!

I'm proud to say this is not even my first card of the year

 - I'm really into the Christmas thing early this year lol

This is the cute Beary Happy Winter Bear available here

from Stitchy bear's digital outlet

our lovely sponsor this week is 

Stitchy Bears Digital Outlet

They are offering a fab prize of 3 digi's up to the value of $10

and they have loads of choice

 - so get those entries in - it could be you!

This is what I did....

Image - Beary Happy Winter Bear from SBDO

Coloured with copics and spectrum noir pencils

Card - Bazzill basics

Papers - Chritstmas Cottage from Theresa Collins

Dies - Ovals - tattered lace ovals

           circles - spellbinders

           small holly sprig - Sue Wilson holly dies

           Large holly sprig - Wild rose studios

Ribbon - vintage seam binding from Crafty Ribbons

Red pearls - from my stash

Sentiment - produced in word

Hope we see your fabulous christmas creations over at Fab'n'Funky this week 

Challenges I'm entering....

Simons Wednesday challenge - Anything goes
ABC Christmas challenge - bows banners and baking
Tuesday throwdown - facets of crafting
Kraftin Kimmie - anything goes

hugs

Judith xx

Design team call at Moving Along With the Times Challenge Blog

Hi all

This is just a quick post to give you a heads up 

about our DT call over at MAWTT

MAWTT is a great for fun challenge with a lovely friendly team

we would love to have you join us.

pop over to the challenge blog for details

http://movingalongwiththetimes.blogspot.co.uk/

Buttons! - who'd have thought they were like buses!!

Good morning all

I'm back today with my DT card for

 Moving Along With The Times 

Who'd have thought it - two button it days in a row

None for ages then two come along at once - just like buses!

so yet again the theme is 

Button It!

and you'll be really proud of me!

 - I even remembered to put buttons on this one  

I had a card to make for one of our best friends - we've all been friends since we were at school and my DH has known him since he was eleven years old - in other words a looong time lol.

As well as this his birthday is just two days before my husbands - they even had a joint 40th birthday party, just like two kids! And for years now we have gone on a weekend away to celebrate this auspicious occasion - never very far - just a nice hotel within 50 or so miles of home and this time we're also going to the theatre to see One Man - Two Guv'nors, I don't know much about it but apparently its very funny and starred James Corden when it was in the Westend so we're sure to have a laugh - we always do

Anyway - I usually make a cheeky card for our friend

and this years no exception!

I used this image called  'Derek Dunderton' from Dr Digi's house of Stamps available here

I love this character - he fit's the bill for so many male cards in his various guises, Check him out in the Dr Digi shop - he's a man of many talents - along with his lovely wife!!  I just love colouring these images too

 - the way they're drawn is great 

While I was there I noticed they had some sheets of sentiments and so that's where this cheeky sentiment came from too - there's loads of others so you might just see some others soon

Here's what I did....

Image - Derek Dunderton from Dr Digi's House of Stamps

Sentiment -  from Dr Digi's House of Stamps sentiments sheet

Birthday wishes sentiment from Anna Griffin

-stamped with red gold Tsukneko brilliance - I love how it turned out!

Coloured with copics and black prismacolour pencil for shading

Papers - LOTV candles and cake (I think!)

Die cut - fishtale flags from MFT

Die cut - banners from Whiff of Joy

Buttons from my stash

Twine from MFT

I hope you'll come and join in the fun at MAWTT challenge this week - my teamies have put buttons all over the place! - so check out the challenge blog

Challenges I'm entering with this card

Cute card Thursday - colourful
Sassy design studios - masculine - It's raining men
Crafty gals corner - lets hear it for the boys (masculine)
Rubys rainbow - masculine
Penny's papercrafty challenge - anything goes
Crafty sentiments - for a man
Cardz4guys - anything goes

Hugs Judith xx

and now I'm going to ask you to Button it!!

Hello again!

If you're following on reading from my previous post for The Paper Shelter Challenge you probably think I'm a thoroughly rude individual lol!  Again not sure if it applies to the whole of the UK (I'm pretty sure it does) but to us Geordies button it means - shut up! - So after I've told you to button it and wrap up all in one morning - you may not come back to visit me again!!

But I really have to pass the blame onto our lovely Wendy over at 

Fab'n'Funky Challenges

because she chose this weeks theme 

Button it

(your project must have at lease one button on it)

Using Ladybug Daisy Vase from Bugaboo available here

I really wish I'd read Wendy's theme before I made the card (a common fault of mine)   - because when I made this card it didn't have a button in sight!! - fortunately it had lots of little jewels which I managed to peel off and replace with the cute little spotty buttons you can see now - phew!!  I do remember when I started making this card thinking that I'd make a design with flowers with button centres, but I got sidetracked with a bow and it sort of went downhill from there : /

Never mind all's well that ends well as they say  - I actually think the buttons look better 

We have a lovely sponsor this week

Bugaboo Digi Stamps
Who are also celebrating their birthday and some fab celebrations are going on!

who are offering a fab prize of 7 digistamps to this weeks winner

The DT girls at Fab'n'Funky have made some fabulous cards this week 

- including some of our new DT members, so pop on over and see them

at the Fab'n'Funky Challenge Blog

Here's what I did..

Image - Ladybug Daisy Vase 

Coloured with copics

Papers-MME Collectable Notable

Buttons - Papermania

Ribbon - Carnmeal cottage 

Sentiments - LOTV sentiment labels

Flower die - Sue Wilson (my favourite flower dies of the moment!)

Leaves - Lorelei outline leaves from Poppy stamps (cut up)

Distress Ink - TH tea dye

Challenges I'm entering with this card

Buckwells crafty challenge - anything goes (monthly)

Little claires - bright and beautiful 12/2

Wrap up - at the Paper Shelter Challenge

Good Morning all

I think our challenge at 

The Paper Shelter 

this week is very good advice!!

Wrap up

As Shirley our lovely team leader on team A at TPS DT informed the team (for the benefit of the non British girls who may not understand the term)  -that can be either lovely warm clothes (and don't we all need those at the moment!) or perhaps a wrapped present, the one she missed out (he he) is it also means shut up!! - as in 'will you wrap up' - I get so confused sometimes as to what is a local term and what anyone else not from my little corner of the world will understand , but I'm sure it's in the same vein as  'it's a wrap' when it comes to film making.  

On that note it reminds me of my children learning this lesson when they were at university.  They both lived away from home and found that the people they mixed with didn't speak the same language sometimes - even though they all spoke English.  Alison totally perplexed her housemates by telling them that she would "get wrong" when what she meant was she would get told off, Many a child in the north of England will "get wrong off their Mam"!! it started a whole new university education for all of them as they started to learn the funny little expressions each of them said according to the part of the country where they all came from - not to mention the odd foreign student!   Though I think the Geordie expressions were most popular (Georgie is a term for people like me who live in the north east and more precisely around the Newcastle area, for anyone who doesn't get that one!).  Everyone always thinks they can do a Geordie accent - few can!!!  Matthew caused no end of confusion when he used the term "me Mam" - in this part of the country what you might say instead of "my Mother"!!  He was at uni for months before one of his friends asked him who this Memam was that he kept ringing!! - I'm sure I've told you this before, but it still makes me smile, he'd living and working in Edinburgh now where he's getting a whole new education - I think the Scottish use even funnier words that the Geordies - well he keeps us amused anyway lol

   

Anyway I digress....I decided to take the opportunity to make a Christmas card for this challenge, I made a nice early start last year and it definitely made things so much easier when Christmas came around, so I intend to do it again this year.

I used this lovely snowman stamp -he's  one of my favourites at TPS

So simple and great to colour with his cute hat and scarf

called "Snowman" he's available here

As always we have a fabulous prize on offer for our winner

 at The Paper Shelter Challenge this week

Here's what I did....

Image - Snowman from TPS
Coloured with copics
Easel frame card made with Spellbinders labels ten die
Papers - Docraft Scandinavian Christmas
Tree die - Mariannes
Christmas lettering - part of Memory Box grand Merry Christmas die
Hessian bow - from Michaels
Epoxy tree sticker - Anna Griffin
Ribbon from my stash
Distress ink - TH Tea dye

I hope we see you over at The Paper Shelter challenge this week - as for this blog post - its a wrap!!

(This is my first post of today - I'll be back soon with my DT post for Fab'n'Funky Challenges)

Challenges I'm entering with this card

Buckwells Crafty Challenge - anything goes

ABC Christmas challenge - B for bows bunting or baking

Have you got something new to show us?

Good morning all

Well the holidays are well and truly over - decorations taken down and put away and it's a brand new crafty year over at 

Fab'n'Funky Challenges

We have some lovely new DT girls and some new sponsors too 

so it seemed like a great idea to start off the year with a 

Something New Theme

my daughters friend has just had a baby boy and she asked me to make a card 

so here's what I made to welcome baby Thomas into the world

I just love this cute image from Stitchy Bear Digital outlet

it's called Droppin In - just soooo cute, my new favourite new baby stamp

Our sponsors this week are Di's Digi Stamps 

Ooo Im so still buzzing this morning - I went to the Metro arena in Newcastle last night to see Queen and Adam Lambert - I can't say much more than FABULOUS - Brian May on guitar, Roger Taylor on drums and the gorgeous Adam Lambert camping it up all the way.  The cynics say things like - he's not Freddie Mercury blah blah - and I'd say yes that's totally and obviously true he's Adam Lambert and wonderful with it from his black leather and studs down to his totally camp leopard print suit complete with huge sparking crown for the encore he definitely can do it! - if you get the chance - go and see them you'll sing along to every song and they do it so well, there was even an acoustic "Fog on the Tyne" for us Geordies from Brian May - for anyone who visits me regularly you'll know my head is often singing songs inside - I just love music -at the minute my head singing "All we hear is radio gaga...." - that might just set you off for the day lol - enjoy it - whatever your head is singing

...and as for this card....

Here's what I did...

Image - Droppin in from Stitchy bear digital outlet

Coloured with copics and Spectrum noir pencils

Papers and sentiment stamp - LOTV

Flower dies - Sue Wilson for creative expressions

Swirl - Magnolia

Circle dies - spellbinders

Butterfly punches (small) woodware and (large) Martha Stewart

Cheescloth trim - Tim Holtz

Ribbon - vintage seambinding from crafty ribbons

I hope you'll join in with us at Fab'n'Funky this week and give our new DT girls a warm welcome

Challenges I'm entering with this card

DS4J - bingo -(flowers/free/2 or more layers)
Creative moments - new beginings/anything goes
Pennys papercrafty - anything goes
Scrappers delights - anything goes with twist new beginnings

Hugs Judith xx

Are you ready to monkey around - in a colourful way!

Good morning all

Sorry I'm a bit late this morning - I had left my post in draft by mistake so it didn't publish - anyway...

it's the first challenge of the new year at 

Moving Along with the Times

and our lovely Carol is hosting this week

She has chosen a picture/colour inspiration for us

I decided to go with the colours - I was going to use flowers and leaves as well but went with a ribbon instead - now I'm thinking I would have liked the flowers version better - hmm if you can't please yourself there's not much chance of anything is there - I might refurbish it - I'll let you know!!!

(by the way - the satin ribbon and pearl embellie is not as wonky as it looks here - rubbish photo skills lol)

I thought I'd use this cute image from The Paper Shelter - it's a bit different from anything that's around just now - quite new, and very cute

Called Monkeys! it is available here in The Paper Shelter shop

This is what I did......

Image - Monkeys! from The Paper Shelter
Coloured with copics and Spectrum Nior pencils
Papers - Spring Feast from first Edition
Sentiment stamps - Anna Griffin
Ribbon - Carnmeal Cottage
Pearl /Ribbon embellie - creative expressions
Pearls from my stash

Hope you'll join us over at MAWTT this week - it's a lovely colour pallette - and I'm sure most floral cards will fit in with the theme too

Challenges I'm entering with this card

Tuesday throwdown - favourite embellie (ribbon)
try it on tuesday - favourite things (ribbon)

hugs
Judith xx

Do you have the winter blues? - a post from the eternal optimist!

Good morning all

Well I finally made it - a proper post and my first card of 2015!

- do I have the winter blues? - no I'm actually feeling pretty good right now : )

My horrible cold is on its way out and I'm getting some good nights (cough free) sleep

I went to slimming world yesterday and was slimmer of the week- how's that for a good start to the year - I have even  lost 2lb over Christmas and New Year - I don't want to lose a huge amount but I need the motivation

I'm back out walking again and feeling good about that too - 1000 steps a day on my pedometer - works out at about 5 miles a day and the weather's been pretty good for walking too - and the dog's really happy that I'm feeling fit enough to walk again too!! 

So you see nothing's really happening  - but I definitely haven't got winter blues :))

The eternal optimist - that's me!

But well ... over at 

 The Paper Shelter 

we've got 

Winter Blues!!

and here's the card to prove it lol

I even like this card - something else to be happy about!

It's the gorgeous Hope - available here

I started off thinking this was going to be a fairly CAS card - but then when I'd coloured her I had the idea that I'd add a huge messy bow because I remembered that I had the perfect toning colours in my collection of vintage seam binding - well with a collection like mine it was hard not to - I just love ribbons!! - with the addition of some sparkly things from Creative Impressions and coloured Bazzill card, some glossy accents and pearls - it was done

I decided not to add a sentiment because I haven't decided what to do with this card yet - I think it could fit a few occasions - as well as Christmas - so is this my first Christmas card of the year!? -well it is a Christmas /winter image so yes, probably - unless it just turns out to be that perfect card for something else lol.

I coloured her with copics in blue and blue-green shades and then shaded with spectrum noire pencils in similar shades with a touch of grey - I really like how she turned out.  I was a very lucky girl when DH got me a full set of pencils - I usually use prismacolor - but I have to say I rather like the Spectrum Noirs - they blend very well and there's a great range of colours

Anyway back to the challenge 

as usual we have a great prize at TPS

So let's see your winter blues (anything in shades of blue)

We'd love to see you at our first challenge of the year

Hope you all have a great crafty week and banish those winter blues

Challenges I'm entering with this card

ABC Christmas - A - optional antlers

house that stamps built- blue/silver/white
Tuesday throwdown - favourite embellishment (ribbon)
try it on Tuesday - favourite things (ribbon) 

hugs 

Judith xx

DT call over at Fab'n'Funky Challenges

Good morning all

I'm just popping in with a quick post - just in case you didn't know.....

we are having a

DT CALL

over at 

Fab'n'Funky Challenges

We have great challenges, fabulous sponsors and a really friendly DT of lovely ladies 

There's only one day left if you want to enter our call - we already have lots of fabulous ladies queuing up to join our lovely friendly team - it could be you!

For full details of our requirements pop on over to 

Fab'n'Funky Challenges 

and add your name to the linkie 

hugs

Judith xx

My favourite cards of 2014

Good morning lovely people and Happy New Year

I hope you have had a lovely Christmas and a peaceful New Year 

I've been away from my blog for a couple of weeks now and it's taking me a bit of revving up to get back into things - I have to say.  I've had a horrible cold/ flu bug for over two weeks now and although i'm sick to death of coughing and spluttering it's definitely getting better and I'm starting to feel like doing a bit of crafting again.  So I thought I would dip my toe into the water with a first post of the year and enter Wends challenge to post my 12 favourite cards of last year - no easy task to pick just 12 - I eventually managed 13!! - so here goes!!

January

February

March

I think this ones my favourite! - a big 8x8 Christening card 

May

June

as you can see I loved those shell stamps from Sheena Douglas 

and I carried on the nautical theme into 

July

October
from then on I had a n attack of the pretties!

November

So there they are a mix of pretty, cute or just plain silly! -I wonder what I'll come up with this year ; )

I'm hoping to have something new to post before to long - now I'm off to link to Wends challenge - she's even offering a fab prize!  -  at  Crafty Kiwi Mama

hope to see you over there with you favourites of 2014

Here's to a great 2015!!

hugs

Judith xx