Easter Baskets!

Hello!! I hope you are all doing ok.... it's actually sunny here in Manchester Uk!! Whoop Whoop!! and no snow!! LOL I really hope that wherever you live ... the sun is with you also! ;-)

I thought I would show these little Easter Baskets that I made for my mum and daughter... They are Origami folded and instructions are here! They are very quick to make!! and the only glue I needed was for handles...

They are made with a Square of Design Paper... and it works better if the paper is not too thick... the red, black and white DP is Papermania 'Oriental Treasures' that my daughter bought for me a couple of years ago ... so gorgeous!! and the other green and pink basket is made with 'Raspberry Road' paper that was freebie with magazine... I put a strip of folded paper for the handles but you can use ribbon as in the video if you wish...

The square of paper that I've used to make these was about 20.5cm and the baskets have ended up about 7.5cm square... I didn't want them to be too small as I wanted to fit quite a lot of mini eggs in them!! as they are my main pressies for Easter!! 

The flowers are Tim Holtz Mini Tattered Florals.. and I've used matching papers.

I would like to enter the following Challenges:-

Creative Inspirations - 'Easter Wishes' 

Fab'n Funky - 'Boxed In' 

Simon Says - 'Anything Goes'

Oldie but a Goodie - 'Easter' 

(using forgotten stash of Papermania Orient Treasures Pack)

Tuesday Throwdown - 'What's in Your Basket' 

Crafty Creations - 'Easter'

Crafty Sentiments Designs - 'Easter' 

Ladybug Crafts Ink - 'Anything Goes' 

I haven't done very much crafting this last week but I have got a couple of cards half-finished!! but now I have come down with a bad cold...I think everybody has got this cold at the moment!!! So Big Hugs to all who need them!!

I'm just having a chillout weekend... I'm going to watch a couple of documentaries and then might read... I think I will have Chicken Curry for tea... see if those spices will help my sinuses!!! LOL then some Choc Mint Viennetta... I still have some left from my Birthday as it was an Extra Long one!!! hee hee!!

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend and enjoy your Easter Eggs tomorrow!! I can't wait!! 

Love and hugs

Easter Bunnies!!

Hello!! hope you are all doing ok.... I thought I'd show you some very quick Easter Cards that I made.... I wanted to make quite a few... but I am very short on time ... so basically I had to come up with a design and layout that was really quick to put together... also wanted to keep them flat because of postage costs.

I've used a pre-coloured image from Fred, She Said called Easter Bunny - Coloured and it comes in two colour combos. You can print out a sheet of four... or else crop and resize as you wish... I have slightly toned down the colours to match my pastels...

it's a really fab image because the colours match so many 'Easter' coloured papers!! :-))

All the papers are from Pink Petticoat... and the 'Happy Easter' sentiment is also from Pink Petticoat ... I added it underneath the image before printing out... I also added different coloured borders to the papers and the images as I wanted everything laid out on one sheet to print, cut and glue... so easy peasy... and once you have got your layout sorted and saved, then you can just print out as many as you need...

I've added an Embosslit Flower to some and some Paper Bows with gems/pearls to others... my daughter loves the bows... but they did take a bit longer to make as I used a template and resized it... then cut them out by hand.... so I didn't make quite as many of them!! LOL

They were very quick to make but I think they came out quite sweet! :-))

Lots of Spring Colour Combos....

I did double check the rules on the challenges... and think they are all ok for a pre-coloured digi image? if I have broken any rules then big apologies and please delete! 

I would like to enter the following Challenges:-

Creative Inspirations - 'Spring Pastels'

Simon Says - 'Easter/Spring' 

Cute Card Thursday - 'Easter Parade' 

Digi Haven - 'Easter' 

QKR Stampede - 'Easter Fun' 

Totally Papercrafts - 'Easter Eggsravaganza' 

I am being a little night owl tonight... 11.45pm and posting!!

My mum and dad are both doing ok at the moment btw... thanks for all your good wishes!

Tomorrow, Saturday is my birthday and so planning to spend the day relaxing and might watch a film. I can't decide what to watch though... maybe Tess by Polanski... lovely Summer scenery in it!! My daughter is away at a funeral and so we are going to celebrate again when she gets home on Tuesday.  I have a Choc Mint Viennetta in the freezer!! Mmmm.... and all being well I am going for a meal on Sunday with some friends... so looking forward to that... :-)

Just hope it doesn't snow!! we've been lucky so far and it hasn't settled.. but it's still blooming freezing!! and the wind is howling around the house!! Brr.... glad I didn't put my thermals away!! LOL

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!
Keep warm and snug... and safe! 

Love and hugs

MAWTT - Decoupage

Hello... good morning! I hope you are all doing ok... it's time for a brand new challenge over at

Moving Along With the Times

This week it's the turn of Team A... and the lovely Kim is our hostess.... she has chosen the fab theme of

'Decoupage'

So we would like to see cards or projects using decoupage... this could be done in the traditional form with a decoupage sheet or kit... or else you could stamp or print out an image several times and build up an image or scene... I thought I would do a lovely Summer Card to remind of us our holidays!! now it was sleet/snow and cold when I made this... so I listened to 'Down by the Seaside' by Led Zep for inspiration.... and tried to think of sunnier climes!! I always find decoupage very relaxing and so I really enjoyed making this card! 

I used a Jayne Nestorenko kit that was free gift with Papercraft Essentials magazine last year... lots of lovely layers and I've used 1mm thickness 3d Foam pads... and it really gives a lovely 3D effect to the whole scene... 

when it came to the boy and the donkey... I added 3mm foam pads to the bottom halves to bring them up to the front of the scene.... 

I'm sure you'll agree that decoupage is very hard to photograph... so I'm just going to put the best piccies on from different angles.... I don't think any of them are perfect!

Sometimes I wish I wasn't a perfectionist! LOL

It looks a whole lot better in real life!! LOL 

We are sponsored this week by the fabulous Sir Stampalot

who have kindly donated this fab Creative Kit prize... love the gorgeous colours! 

For more details of the challenge... I hope you can hop on over to MAWTT and you can also see my Teamies gorgeous creations for your inspiration.... looking forward to seeing all your wonderful decoupaged creations! 

Ooh I'm glad this post was all done in draft a couple of weeks ago! I've had stressful week. My dad had another seizure on Monday night... have to say that I find them very hard to deal with... I think if he came around a little bit after ten or fifteen minutes then I would feel a whole lot easier... but it is always 30 to 40 minutes before he even begins to come out of it ... as you can imagine - that feels like forever.... not sure that I will ever get used to them... :-(  but at least he is ok now which is the main thing .... I think I just need learn to deal with them better!

Tuesday night my mum had her allergy where all her tongue swells up... so it's been a bit like an A & E Department in our house this week! LOL we are all ok at the moment though - just very tired!! So huge apologies that I haven't got around to everyone's blogs!

I'm hoping all stays well and  that I get a good sleep tonight... I'm sure we will all feel better with some rest! ;-)

I made some CAS Easter Cards last week and so I will try and photograph them for weekend!! they are nice and bright and cheery! :-))

Will catch up with you all very soon

not long until weekend now...

Love and Hugs

Snowballing Doggie....

Hello... hope you are all having a lovely weekend! Simon Says Stamp have a 'Choose a Sketch' Challenge this week... I really liked one of the sketches and so I thought I'd make a Christmas Card using some of my new Crafting stash...

You can choose from two sketches..... here... and I've chosen Sketch 1 .....

Simon Says Stamp 'Choose a Sketch' Challenge  

Image: by David Parkin from Simply Cards and Papercraft Magazine available for free here!!!

Papers: Sherry K Designs - 'Merry Christmas to You' and 'Floral Christmas'

Embossing Folder: - Sizzix 'Powdered Sugar and Snow Globe Set'

Die: Memory Box - 'Corner Bow'

Die: Spellbinders - 'Create a Flake'

Sentiment: Lili of the Valley - 'Christmas Grungy Messages'

Nailheads: JosyRose

The image is free at the above link... and the gorgeous Sherry K Design papers and the Embossing Folder are on offer at the moment... so if you fancy grabbing some bargains! ;-) 

I changed the Floral Christmas paper slightly... it has a cream background and so I alpha'd it to make the background clear and print out white. 

Aww isn't this wee doggie adorable!! I've coloured him with Copics... and used some Snow Crystal glitter on the snowballs and some Flock on his hat bobble... but it isn't showing at all on photo!! looks nice in real life though! LOL

I would like to enter the following challenges:-

Ooh La La Creations - 'Our Four Legged Friends' 

Simon Says - 'Choose a Sketch'

C.R.A.F.T. - 'Christmas in March' 

Cute Card Thursday - 'Anything Goes' 

Christmas Stampin' - 'Sparkle and Shine' 

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - 'Animals' 

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas - 'Merry and Bright'
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge Extra - March - 'Anything Goes'

I have had a lazy Saturday... spent most of the day Crafting and enjoyed it .... then stumbled across some Who Do You Think You Are USA... new episodes on BBC iPlayer... so watched the first one with Martin Sheen... very, very interesting... so if you like WDYTYA then it's definitely worth taking a look! ;-)

Thank you for all your lovely comments... I will be catching up with you all very soon! 

Love and hugs!

MAWTT - Spring is in the Air

Hello... just a quick post to say that our lovely Lisa over at  MAWTT has a new Challenge today....

'Spring is in the Air'

This week it's the turn of Team B and so I haven't made a card... but hope you can pop on over to  MAWTT  for more details of this fab challenge and you will love all my Teamies Spring themed cards ... they are gorgeous!!  I do hope you will join us for this week's challenge! 

I think the birds have given up on Spring coming and are just getting on with things.... as our Blackbird has been singing the Dawn Chorus at 5.30am in the snow!!! LOL

 the snow didn't stay long here in Manchester thank goodness... and we have had lots of sunshine this week... but still very cold...

I seem to have had a very busy week and not much to show for it? do you ever have week's like that? 

I have made a couple of cards this week but they took me SO long to make... I honestly think I am getting slower!!! 

Not long until weekend and I haven't even looked at what is on TV yet!! now that is a first!! LOL Hope there is something good on... :-)

Hopefully I will be back very soon with a card... 

Take Care

Love and hugs

Happy Mother's Day!! .... in Blue....

My daughter asked me to make a card for her to give her gran for Mother's Day... she wanted it kept fairly CAS, in shades of Baby Blue and Flowers in the centre...

So I used papers and sentiment from Pink Petticoat.... and printed the dotted paper with sentiment and also added some Star Dust Stickles to the edge of circle..... then layered onto scalloped round nestie...

The Flower is Tim Holtz Mini Tattered Floral... I was originally going to put two flowers in the centre but it was too much and spoilt the line of the circle...

to finish I've added some heart nailheads from JosyRose and also a Silver heart charm... my daughter was really pleased with it and my mum loves it !! so everyone happy :-)

I would like to enter the following challenges:-

Papertake Weekly - 'Anything Goes'

Creative Inspirations - 'Happy Mother's Day' 

Totally Gorjuss -  'For Mum' 

Creative Craft Challenges2 - 'Mother's Day' 

Dream Valley - 'Mother's Day' 

Hope you are all having a lovely Sunday... it's sunshine today but there is a bitter wind so I'm staying in warm and snug... 

I am having a very lazy day... eating some of my mother's day choccies!! might do a little bit of crafting and looking forward to Call the Midwife later... but it's the last one... what a shame... and I have only just got into it... and it's the last Mr Selfridge too!!  I hope they have got some new period dramas lined up for us... ;-))

Enjoy your Sunday!
Love and hugs

In the Frame ...

Hello... hope you are all well...... no card today... I'm just popping by to show you the painting from the Michael Powell Stamp that I did now that it is all framed... I found a frame a few weeks ago in Super Saver Shop and thought it might suit my watercolour... it's way too big I know... but I liked the dark wood effect... so I've made a couple of mounts and used a lacey nestie and hopefully it looks ok? I'm going to give it my mum tomorrow for Mother's Day as one of her pressies... :-)

It's raining today... so I'm staying in warm and snug! but I did go for a little walk yesterday...  I can't walk very far but managed to get down the Meadow Lane which is just on the next road... it was lovely to see the Evergreen pines and hear the birds... but I was shocked how bare most of the trees still are!! usually at this time of year they are all springing green.... but I guess everything is a little late this year with the cold weather... there are lots of daffodils and bluebells coming up and so I'm hoping in a few weeks they will all be blooming!! let's hope in time for Easter! ;-)

I'm having a lazy day today and going to watch some of Mayday later with my daughter... I watched the second episode of Lightfields yesterday.... have you been watching it? it's not as good as Crickley Hall !! hasn't made me jump yet!! but the 'time travelling' is quite fun... especially love the 70s scenes... I had a cardi just like Vivien and we also had some folding Garden Chairs that were spookily similar!! Can't believe how that family keep on going back to Lightfields though!!!  it's definitely cursed - you just wouldn't go back there would you!!! LOL 

Hope you have a lovely weekend

Love and hugs

MAWTT - The Birds and The Bees....

Hello... good morning! I hope you are all doing ok... it's time for a brand new challenge over at

Moving Along With the Times

This week it's the turn of Team A... and the lovely Judith is our hostess.... she has chosen the fab theme of

'The Birds and The Bees...'

So we would like to see creations with a 'Nature' theme such as Birds, Bees, Animals, Insects, Flowers.... or else a 'New Baby' theme....

I have used 'Wild Rose' by A Passion for Stamps and decided to make a 'Thinking of You' Card. I've kept things quite simple because of the type of card.... and concentrated on the colouring of the image... I studied some photos of the actual flower and tried to match the colours to real life... 

The gorgeous paper is Raspberry Road Designs and was a freebie with magazine. I haven't used too many embellies... this paper is SO gorgeous that it doesn't deserve to be covered up!! so I just added some nailheads to the image... sentiment was made on computer... 

I've coloured the image with Promarkers

So that is it... quite a simple card but I'm happy with it.... and it's nice to keep in some of these cards! 

We are sponsored this week by the fabulous A Passion For Stamps

For more details of the challenge and prize... I hope you can hop on over to MAWTT and you can also see my Teamies gorgeous creations!

I would like to enter the following challenges:-

Totally Gorjuss -  'Anything Goes with Pink' 

Crafty Sentiments Designs - 'Pretty in Pink'

Papertake Weekly - 'Anything Goes' 

Not long until weekend now... I'm taping all the episodes of Mayday and so hoping to watch a couple of them on Saturday with my daughter. I have caught up with all the episodes of Call the Midwife too... I wasn't sure whether I would like it .... but I'm hooked now!  I don't want Mr Selfridge to finish...  it's just got better and better... I do love period dramas... ;-))

The tidying is on hold... Two days and I was shattered just delegating and deciding what to keep and what to throw out!! LOL 

Hope you are all well

Will catch up with you soon

Love and Hugs

Happy Mother's Day!

I won a Challenge with Fab 'n' Funky a few weeks ago with my Frieda the Flapper Card.  It was a lovely surprise and my prize was 5 stamps from the lovely Kathryne at Whimsy Stamps. Straight away I chose Katie as I thought she would be lovely for a Mother's Day Card... isn't she a cutie! The gorgeous paper is Lilly Bimble and was freebie with magazine a few weeks ago.

Quite a simple layout... I originally had ribbon across but really didn't like it and so took it off!! and put the heart instead... which is Sizzix Embosslits Lace Heart. I'm still wondering whether to add some crystals to the heart? I don't want to go over the top though as the paper is quite busy...

The gorgeous flower is made with Tim Holtz Mini Tattered Floral Die... Oh I love this die SO much! I think it's because it's a Movers and Shapers Die and I find them so easy to use. I've used some leftover paper and added a pearl to the centre. Sentiment was made on computer...

I'm not zooming in too close for this... as my colouring is rubbish! I dusted off my Copics and I have honestly forgotten how to colour with them!... they are so different to blend... hence her very rosy cheeks and legs!! poor girl looks like she has got chillblains!! Hopefully when I get more time... I will be able to have another go at getting back into my Copics...

I think my mum will like this anyway... she loves bright colours especially pinks... and she also loves flowers!

I would like to enter the following Challenges:-

Allsorts - 'For a Lady'

Oldie but a Goodie - 'Feeling Floral' 
(leftover paper used on Flower Die is my 6 months+ product)

Papertake Weekly - 'Anything Goes' 

Creative Craft Challenges - 'Mother's Day' 

Sorry my blogging is so hit and miss at the moment... I'm feeling much better now... Thanks for all your good wishes. This week I am having big sort out in my room...  and it all takes time... sorting through what to keep and what to throw out... what to send to charity shops etc...

It's been a lovely day here today... sunny and fresh... just how Spring should be... although I think rain is coming tomorrow! Boo hiss!! LOL

Hope you are all having a good week
Will catch up with you very soon
Love and hugs