Howdy Cowgirl

As this is my 2nd post today
*Please scroll down for the Creative Craft World challenge, or click here* 

Hello again!

I'm afraid my posts have been a little erratic lately, it's been a while since I had two in one day!

I have some exciting news to share today :)

A while ago the lovely Tracey over at Sweet Stampin' asked if I would like a months GDT spot

on the challenge blog and I was delighted to accept!

There are some fabulous challenges coming up and this weeks is no exception...

The theme is to 'use your favourite stamp'.

After much deliberation I've come to the conclusion ~  I've got too many favourites....

but I did narrow it down to Wryn and her little horse.

The background papers are DCWV ~ Green stack and I layered them on a 6x6" card blank.

I coloured the image with Copics and wrote down the colours but now I can't find the scrap of paper I wrote it on...

The buttons are from 'bag o buttons and the divine twine is from here.

 I inked the edge of the oval with tumbled glass distress ink.

I arranged the sentiment on the curve of the oval using the Cameo and after printing, cut it out by hand.

The font is 'Oleo'

Why not take a minute to ink up your favourite stamp and upload your creation here!

Thanks again for visiting

and I hope you have a great holiday weekend :)

I'll be back during the week with a some cards, layouts and a little mini book.

Sarah xx

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:

ATC's & cards with attitude ~ anything goes/father's day

Crafty Catz ~ buttons and bows

Phindy's Place #108 ~ pile it on

Paper Play ~use 2 of something (ribbons)

Divas by design ~ anything goes

Simon says stamp ~ anthing goes + option of twine

Crafty sentiments ~ anything goes

Oldie but a goodie ~ anything goes (papers and buttons)

Party time Tuesday's ~ anything goes
Speedy Fox & Friends ~ buttons

June scrap map challenge at Creative Craft World

Good morning :)

The weeks are flying by and it's time again for a new scrap map challenge

at Creative Craft World!

All you have to do is use the sketch (below my layout) as a guide

to create your own page and upload it to the challenge blog here.

You could win a CCW kit and a guest design team spot :)

I kept my layout very simple this time.

Every year the school holds a 'Mad Hair Day' to raise funds for the school and the children all pay £1 to have the privilege of mad hair for a day....

This is how I did Phoebe's hair.

You may be wondering why it's not 'mad'...

...she hasn't the patience to sit and get her hair done and squeals if it pulls at all!

Just lately though,

we've discovered a new brush called 'the tangle teezer' which has made our mornings a lot quieter :)

I'd definitely recommend it.

Her bun is supposed to resemble a cake with ribbon tied around it and the flowers are the decoration. They were tied through her hair with very fine wire.

She told her teacher she was an Easter cake :)

To make the page, I started with a white embossed sheet of Bazzill card. I pierced 4 rows of holes in the shape of the lines on the sketch and stitched red embroidery thread through the holes. I then took yellow embroidery thread and added a looped stitch under the red. (as in the photo below)

I kept the flowers from her hair and added some of  them to the layout, embellishing them with puffy stickers, looking glass elements and rub-ons from Making Memories ~ gigglekids girl.

Close up of the stitching.

The texture of the flowers and stickers.

That's the end of my first post today,

I'd love it if you could pop over to Creative Craft World

for some more inspiration using this months sketch :)

I also have a 2nd post to share today

and it's exciting news about a Guest Design spot for this month :)

Thanks for visiting

 and see you soon!

Sarah xx

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:

Crafty Anns ~ flowers and butterflies

Scrapbook Sisters ~ anything goes
Make it Monday#91 ~ anything goes
Just Keep on Creating#2 ~ anything goes

...... the Father's Day card I should have uploaded a week ago....

Hi everyone :)

I hope you're all well!

At the minute it feels like I'm continally playing catch up and it's showing on my blog....

I'm hoping as it's the 1st of June today, this month will be better!

I originally made this as a Father's Day card for my Father-in-Law

 but my as Dad's birthday was on Tuesday past,

I gave it to him instead....wasn't I glad I hadn't put 'Father's Day' on the front :) 

The papers are AMM (All My Memories) Couture collection.

The stamp, well....I removed all my stamps from their wooden blocks (for easier storage)

and now I can't tell the make of them.

If anyone knows, please tell me!

I coloured it with Copics and decoupaged bits and pieces of it.

(Will list the colours used later).

I added glossy accents to the 'water' in the jar but it's a bit hard to see.

The word 'Dad' is stamped using Studio G alphabet stamps. Do you remember those wee sets at 99p?

I don't know if you can still get them but they're great :)

There is Jubilee fever at the children's school and yesterday Phoebe's class had to dress up

as Kings and Queens in homemade cloaks and crowns.

So this week I made her a wee cloak using a fleece blanket from Ikea

and a crown from BK......

It was spur of the moment to use the blanket and I was feeling good that I'd made it as a surprise
and I couldn't wait to tell her when I collected her from school.

Her response.......Oh Mum! (rolling her eyes) The teacher says you have to use an old curtain!

Well!

That took the wind out of my sails....lol

I'm glad to say it was a different story when she laid eyes on it though

....the old curtains were soon forgotten about :)

and she showered me with hugs and kisses.

here it is

It looks like a mixture of Little Red Riding hood meets Mr Tumble! (cbeebies)

The crown....you can see where I got it from!

I covered the back and front of it with white card and then painted it with gold paint.

Phoebe raided my bottle full of gems and had a great time sticking them on :)

I apologise again for my lack of commenting.

If I had a smart phone I would be able to keep in touch more frequently.

Maybe that's what Richard's afraid of.... ;) lol

I will definitely be back tomorrow with some DT posts

one a scrapbook page and the other a card.

Hope to see you then!

Have a lovely day and take care :)

Sarah xx

Vintage card with a Cardmaker's Delights topper

Good Afternoon!

Last week I had a lovely email from Tracy at Cardmaker's Delights

and she offered to send me a sample pack of the card toppers she sells.

I had a look at her website and jumped at the chance to have a play with them :)

They are excellent quality and the colours are beautiful.

I made this card using the topper from here.

It's for my Mother-in-Law for her birthday next month.

I started by distressing the edges of the topper with this little tool and then inked them with vintage photo distress ink.

I layered it on black card and distressed the edges of it too, then machine stitched them together.

The papers from a Prima Almanac 6x6 paper pad and I inked the edges of the cut pieces before machine stitching them.

The flourishes are cut with a Sizzix die and the layered butterfly with a Martha Stewart punch.

The lace, pearls, pins and button are from my stash and I tied black hemp twine through the button before attaching it with a glue dot.

The weather here is just beautiful and as I'm feeling much better

Mum, Lydia and I went for an early morning walk by the river, a short drive from where we live.

The sun was shining and the birds were singing, it was so good to get out of the house!

I really hope you are having a lovely day wherever you are :)

Thanks again for coming to visit

and I will have a Father's Day card to share tomorrow.

Take care

Sarah xx

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Divas by Design ~ flourishes

Just Keep on Creating #2 ~ anything goes + travel stories (Best holiday ever was St Lucia, beautiful scenery, delicious food, fantastic beaches, great company)

The Sisterhood of Crafters ~ old fashioned

Penny's Challenges ~ anything goes

Bunny Zoe's ~ anything goes

Whimsy Stamps ~ vintage / shabby chic

Creative Craft Challenges ~ distressing

Die Cuttin Divas ~ buttons, banner and / or birthdays (die cut used Sizzix flourish)

Party time Tuesdays ~ vintage or shabby chic

Sweet Stamps ~ anything goes

Party boxes/cartons

Good Morning!

Thank you so much for all the get well messages.

It's lovely to be back!

Sorry I didn't get to post these wee boxes yesterday.

Just when I thought I'd got rid of the bug ... It came back with a vengance.
Thank goodness for anti-sickness tablets today :)

....and now my wee project.

It was Caleb's birthday nearly two weeks ago

and I made these cartons on the morning of his party in about 2 hours.

They were simply decorated so the children could colour in the pictures at home.

The images are from DigiStampBoutique and I printed and cut them out with the Cameo

(just in case you think I was mad enough to fussy cut them all) lol.

The cartons were also cut with the Cameo using a file bought from Silhouette America.

 They were filled with sweets and tied at the top with raffia.

I think I'll go and have a wee lie down on the sofa in the conservatory,

maybe the sunshine will help me recuperate!

Thank you for visiting today :)

and I'll be back tomorrow, all being well, with a card.

Take care,

Sarah xx

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

MIM #90 ~ anything goes

LEJ Designs ~ anything but a card 

and two weeks later....

...I'm back!

I have been so sick with a horrible bug

but thankfully today I am feeling a LOT better :)

I've even got a little bit of crafting done.

The Less is More challenge this week is for

a Baby or a Child.

I just love making baby cards so any excuse to make another one....

The teddy image is a digi from Dilly Beans and I've coloured it with Copics.

I decoupaged the bow and added a little button in the centre.

Then layered the coloured image on blue gingham card and adhered it to a 15cm card blank.

The sentiment is computer generated with a font called 'twelve weeks pregnant'!

I feel so out of the loop with not getting to visit your blogs

but I'll do my best to catch up!

Thank you so much for visiting me today

and I hope to be back tomorrow with some party boxes.

Take care :)

Sarah xx



Party Invitations

Good morning :)

Today I have some party invitations that I hastily made last night,
for Caleb to bring to school today.

It's his birthday on Friday and as he had a party last year for most of his classmates,

we were just going to have a small family party at home this year.

But...on Sunday, Mum (feeling sorry for Caleb)

offered to have a party at her house for his cousins and a few school friends!

While I'm not a big fan of children's parties, I don't mind making the invitations...

any excuse for a chance to craft ;)

This is what I came up with

I've used the Silhouette to cut everything,

which does make it a lot quicker once you have the files made.

The library pocket is a file from Silhouette America which I resized to fit a C6 envelope.

approx ~ 6"x4" size.

I cut it from Bazzill kraft card and decorated it with paper from Crate Paper ~ Orbit range.

I love this paper and have been hoarding it for ages...

 A view of the back.

I wrapped 'oyster' Baker's twine twice around the card and tied it in a knot at the front.

 The invitation base card is red Bazzill swiss dots card

and I printed the details on white paper (using print and cut) and taped it to the base card.

The little pile of completed invitations.

Just in case you think I got carried away and made an invitation for Caleb himself....

(sometimes I have done, lol)

It's actually for his best friend who is also called Caleb and whose own birthday party is on Thursday!

So this week I'll have to make 'boy' birthday cards and think of something

for party bags...eek!

Thank you so much for visiting today:)

and a very warm welcome to my new followers.

Take care,

Sarah xx

I'd like to enter it in the following challenges:

Come and Get it ~ let's hear it for the boys

The Craft Place ~ one for the boys

Sparkles #31 ~ men only

Little Spring Wryn

Good morning!

Oh it's a cold, wet and miserable morning here and my tumble dryer has just broken down....

You don't realise how much you rely on something until you don't have it any more.

I have resurrected an old wooden clothes horse which I used to dry clothes on in front of the fire

 and Phoebe thinks it's hilarious!

When I was small, my mum used to dry clothes on a clothes horse or on a line strung across the ceiling above the fire.

In those days we didn't have radiators or tumble dryers.....

Oh my goodness,

I'm thinking back to the good ole days.....lol *cringe*

For my card today....it's Wryn again!

I just love colouring these wee images.

  The papers are Crate Paper ~ Paper Doll

and they are layered on a 15cm white card blank.

The sentiment is computer generated ~ 'the cool' font and cut out with circle Nestabilities.

The image is coloured with Copics and cut out with a Nestabilities labels 1 die.

The butterflies and buttons are from a Making Memories set and I added some mini gems to the centres of the butterflies.

Thank you all for visiting today,

I'm still catching up on commenting,

there are so many wonderful blogs to see, it's easy to get lost in them!

Mum and Dad have just phoned to see if we'd like a fry...

Well, it would be rude to refuse wouldn't it!

The diet can start tomorrow ;)

Have a lovely  day

and I'll 'see you soon' :)

Sarah xx

I'd like to enter it in the following challenges:

The Crafty Pad ~ girly girls

The Squirrel & the Fox ~ one for the girls

Catered Crop ~ the letter 'B' (buttons & butterflies)

By the cute & girly ~ spring is in the air

Just Tracy's craft challenge ~ anything goes

Catch the Bug ~ anything goes

Copic Challenge ~ celebrate!

Crafty Calendar ~ things with wings

Craftymess ~ pink and cute / anything goes

Marks Finest Papers ~ use 3 of something (buttons)
C.R.A.F.T ~ buttons

The colour YELLOW!

Hello again!

I'm back with my 2nd post today for the Less is More challenge this week.

I couldn't believe it yesterday when I was showCASed for my little baby card.

Thank you so much Chrissie and Mandi!

It's only sinking in this morning and I'll tell you why at the end of the post ;)

The challenge this week is to use yellow on your card!

I love yellow as it's such a happy colour.

 The mug image is from DigiStamp Boutique

and I paper pieced it using Echo Park summertime paper.

The little tea bag tag is made using print and cut with the Silhouette.

I folded it in half and punched a tiny hole for the string with an SU punch.

I can't remember the size of it but it is really teeny and perfect for mini tags :)

I also made tiny holes in an oval shape with the Silhouette

for threading yellow baker's twine through. 

I have been overwhelmed by the lovely comments and emails you have been sending me.

Thank you so much ~ it really means a lot!

I haven't been round to visit you all yet, but I will catch up with you later tonight :)

I think I better explain my absence yesterday.....

As some of you know, I've been having problems with pins and needles down my arms and into my hands (not great for crafting)

so while we're waiting for the results of my MRI scan to come back

my Doctor suggested I try a new tablet to try and ease my symptoms.

The only thing is, he said, they may make me feel a little hungover in the morning.

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.....

I took one at 10pm on Thursday night and when Friday morning came,

I could hardly open my eyes!

By dinner time I still could hardly stand!

By 11pm last night I was beginning to feel half normal having spent most of the day in a blur.

I know I've sent emails but I imagine they're all gobbledy gook!

Suffice to say I didn't repeat the performance last night.

On the plus side ~ I didn't have any pins and needles....... :)

Thank you for visiting :D

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend.

I better go now and catch up with the horrible housework :p

See you soon,

Sarah xx

I'd also like to enter this in the DigiStamp Boutique monthly challenge.

May DT scrapbook page for Creative Craft World

Good Morning :)

I hope you're all enjoying the start of the bank holiday weekend!

As it's the first Saturday of the month it's time for

a new scrap map challenge at Creative Craft World.

This is the page I made using the sketch.

(shown at the end of this post)

The papers are Cosmo Cricket ~ Snorkel

and the starfish and octopus are matching chipboard pieces from the same range.

I cut the photos, sun and lettering with the Silhouette,

 and the clouds and 'sandy toes' I cut from another sheet of paper.

I also doodled dots along the bottom of the word 'beach' to try and imitate sand.

The words 'beach babies' is a sticker that I added to the middle of the photos.

These photos were taken last year when we were on holiday in the South of Ireland :)

Looking at the girls in their t-shirts, you would think it was a beautiful warm day

but in reality it was sunny and freezing!

I think Caleb was more sensible wearing his fleece! lol.

I always like to add a journaling spot to my pages but usually keep it hidden

as I hate my handwriting!

I haven't had time to add anything to this tag yet but I will soon :)

I did like this page when I was finished until Caleb said. 'Mum why are there fish in the clouds'......

What could I say!

This is the sketch for May and to enter the challenge all you have to do

is make a layout using this as your starting point.

Then link your blog post to the challenge blog here.

I look forward to seeing your pages!

Thank you so much for visiting today

and I hope to be back later with a LIM card :)

Take care

Sarah xx

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:

Emergency Crafters challenge ~ bold and bright

Inspire me Fridays ~ anything goes

The Poodles Parlour ~ anything goes

Our Craft Lounge ~ let's scrap (national scrapbooking day)

MAWTT ~ summer sunshine

Rainbow Lady's challenge ~ memories (of a fun summer holiday!)