Lili blowing bubbles

Hello today to all my friends and followers I hope you have all had a lovely weekend.
We have had a very full but nice one-it was hubby's birthday on Friday so straight from work we went down to the coast for a wander and dinner. Then Saturday he said as it was his 'boxing day birthday' we should treat ourselves to lunch in town. Today we went for a lovely drive in the country and passed a gorgeous country pub advertising a carvery so we just had to stop and try it. So all in all it's been like my birthday too as theres been no cooking to do! I'm just dreading looking at the bank account now lol!!
Well onto my card then and this one I made using a cute image from Inky Impressions that I won in a challenge. I coloured her up with Promarkers and layered her with papers from The Works which are lovely double sided 12 x 12 papers. I used some glossy accents for her bubbles and punched out some hearts and embossed them with a magazine freebie embossing folder. I also used a hobbycraft button punch to add a couple of faux buttons. The sentiment is computer generated:

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:
Digi Choosday -buttons
That Craft Place -layers
Come and Get It -cute
Creative Moments #71-embossing
Creative Inspirations #319- favourite item (my punches)
Clear it out Tuesday -your favourite (punches)
Glitter n Sparkle -sentimental
Inspiration Destination #39-anything goes

Well that's about all from me for today so I'll say bye for now. Thank you so much for stopping by today and for any comments you may wish to leave.
Until next time.
Aloha
Andree x

Rosette birthday

Hello to all my friends and followers today, thank you so much for stopping by.
I've been having a quiet week so far as my little baby (who's nearly 20!!) went off Monday on his first holiday abroad. He's gone to Spain with his girlfriend and I just know they will have the best time-he's already posted me a picture of their room overlooking the pool! Makes me want to go off somewhere nice too though!!
Instead I've been busy at my craft table making a card for my husbands birthday. When I made my Dad's fathers day card hubby said he would've liked a card with a rosette on too so I decided I would make him one for his birthday. I wasn't sure of the colour if I'm honest but it'll have to do now as it's his birthday on Friday and there's no time to make a different one. It made me realise though that after 28 years being married I don't know his favourite colour-how bad is that?
I used the freebie stamps from Docrafts again and paper pieced the rosette with papers from The Glitter Pot. The newsprint paper came as the backing card for the stamps-waste not want not eh??
I punched some stars from black card and added some card candy to the centres. The sentiment is another from Netty's cards punched out to fit the middle of the rosette:

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Quirky Crafts #13 -rosettes

Creative Card Cottage #42 -spots/stripes

Glitter n Sparkle #142 -one for the boys

Shopping our Stash #207-for the boys

Cardz 4 Guys #76-use a die or punch

Allsorts #316 -use a stamp

Creative Inspirations #319 -favourite (punches, I've loved using punches from day one!)

So that's about all from me today, thank you so much for stopping by and for any comments you may wish to leave me.

Until next time.

Aloha

Andree x

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends challenge 12

Good evening to all my crafty friends and followers. Todays post is to let you all know that a new challenge has begun today over at the Lil Patch of Crafty Friends.
Our challenge is, as always an 'anything goes' theme and we have the following fab sponsors who deserve our thanks:

Ppinkydolls Art -Prize: 3 Images

Flat Friends Boutique -Prize: 5 Images

Concetta Kilmer- Prize: 3 Images

I chose this beautiful image by Flat Friends Boutique called The Happy Couple which I coloured with my Promarkers and chose some beautiful papers from a Michele R paper pad which I recently bought.

I die cut the image on a slightly off centre oval using some Nellie Snellen dies and made a faux nestie. I embossed a panel with an X cut embossing folder and sponged some gold ink over to highlight the leaves. I added some paper flowers and a couple of die cut hearts which I inter linked. The little dragonfly has been in my stash for simply ages and I thought it was finally his time to be used.  The sentiment is a magazine freebie and was also cut with the oval dies. A few clear gems and a little ribbon finished it off:

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion #266 -anything goes
The Paper Shelter #208 -digital
CRAFT # 316-wedding/anniversary
Time Out -'happy is the bride the sun shines on'
As you like it -inspired by a book (The Wedding Girl Madeleine Wickham-my favourite author aka Sophie Kinsella)
Moving along with the Times -inspired by a song(UB40, wedding day)
The Crafters Cafe #121 -at the movies (My best friends wedding)
Love to Scrap #56 -anything goes
Hiding in my Craft Room-love is in the air

I do hope you find the time to come along and visit as the ladies on the DT have all been so busy making some beautiful inspiration cards for you to see. We'd love for you to join in with us this time and can't wait to see your fab entries.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today and for any comments you may wish to leave.

Until next time.

Andree x

DIY Alf

Good evening all,
just a quick post to share a card made recently for my cousin-it was one of those 'oh my goodness, it's his birthday tomorrow' moments!! I had to put a card together quick smart so chose this lovely image from Digistamp Boutique.  I coloured him with Promarkers and layered him with Kraft card and added a corrugated strip to the middle too. I used some papers from a pack I bought a while ago at
T K Maxx and added some card candi to the corners and a computer generated sentiment.
Apologies for the rubbish photo but it was such a dark day when I took the photo and as it had to go in the post the next morning I didn't have another opportunity to take a better picture:

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Tuesday Throwdown #249 -Mr Handyman
Simply Create Too #87 -masculine
Come and Get It -it's a boy thing
Craftin Desert Divas -fathers day/masculine
One Stitch at a Time # 239-anything goes men
Creative Corner -just for boys
Kraft Journal #228-masculine

Well thank you so much for stopping by today. Until next time.
Aloha
Andree x

Hedgy and Bee

Good afternoon to all my crafty friends followers and visitors, hope you are having a lovely week so far. I'm having a really mad week-working in a school at this time of year is just full on crazy (wait a minute, every term is full on crazy!!!)
I'm sitting with a nice cup of coffee catching my breath before doing all the normal 'home' jobs and then its off out for a meal with all the family. We helped my daughter sort out her garden a few weeks ago and as a thank you she's taking us all out so I'm really looking forward to it and it will be lovely to all be together.
Well, onto my card for today and I've coloured up a gorgeous image I won recently in the Pink Gem challenge-I can't resist a hedgehog!
I've used my Promarkers to colour him and die cut him with an X cut die and made a faux nestie. I used papers from Lili of the Valley and punched out some flowers, leaves and some corners.
I die cut a butterfly and added gems, glitter and glossy accents (to the wellington boot flowers). I used a Martha Stewart edger punch along the left side too. The sentiment is another from Netty's Cards:

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Butterfly Challenge #33 -'f'' for flowers
Inspiration Destination#38 -anything goes
Inky Impressions #214 -summertime
Penny's Paper Crafty challenge #232-anything goes
Craft your Passion #266 -anything goes
Crafty Sentiments -anything goes
Create & Inspire #24 -anything goes
Creative Ladybirds -anything goes

Thank you so much for stopping by today-I really appreciate you visiting.
Until next time.
Aloha
Andree x

Rory at the beach

Good afternoon to all my lovely friends followers and visitors today. I hope you are all well and enjoying your weekend.
Our weather today isn't as good as it should be so we decided to go for a little drive out into the country. We found a lovely little farm shop in the middle of nowhere which sold the most delicious looking cakes-well, it would've been rude not to stop and try one with a nice cup of coffee wouldn't it!!
Before we went out I managed to finish this card using a new image bought from Lacy Sunshine.
I used my trusty old cuttlebug to cut her out with an oval die and coloured her with my Promarkers and had another go at sky-this time with my pens instead of the distress inks. It was a bit better than my last attempt but still needs more practice -as does my distressing edges-I do keep trying lol!!
I used papers from a large pack bought at The Works and added a die cut swirl and some leafy shapes (which I thought looked a bit like seaweed) using a Marianne Designs die set . I punched a couple of star shaped flowers and used a sentiment which I got from Netty's card blog-she has some fab freebies available.  I love these sentiments as they fit perfectly in my round punch. I punched out a corner of the paper with a large scalloped circle punch as I thought it resembled a scallop shell but now I'm not so sure it was as effective as I thought it would be-sometimes things seem better in my head than they do on paper!
I added some little blue pearls to finish off:

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Lacy Sunshine -anything goes
Glitter n Sparkle # 141 -include a die cut
Chocolate Coffee Cards #93 -pearls
Pennys Paper Crafty challenge - favourite embellishment (pearls)
Cuttlebug mania -sunny
Ooh la la #182-here comes summer
Stamping Sensations -dies/punches
I Love Promarkers #273- -anything goes
Addicted to Stamps #148-holiday

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today and also for any comments you may wish to leave.
I hope you all have a wonderful week and until next time.
Aloha
Andree x

Best Dad

Hello all,
I hope you are having a wonderful week so far.
I have been spending a little time lately at my craft table as I have four male cards to make which I must admit, aren't really a favourite of mine-they seem to take me lots  longer to put less on somehow!!
This one is for my Dad for Fathers Day. I got these fab clear Docrafts stamps on an issue of Creativity magazine just recently and put them safely away ready to use for Dads card.  I was originally going to make it in green as that's his favourite colour but the paper I chose just didn't seem to work right so it ended  up being brown, I'm sure he won't mind!!
I stamped the image onto Kraft card and again onto the patterned paper and paper pieced the image, then set it on a die cut oval. The paper is a pack from The Works (which sadly has burnt down this week in Maidstone, very sad as I love having a wander round there).
I separated the sentiment so that half went at the top of the card and half at the bottom and then I added a couple of stars to finish. I wanted to keep this one with a bit more white space, I wasn't too sure about it when it was made and had decided to make a different one but it's kind of grown on me so I think I will use it after all.

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

Scrapbook Stamp Society #68-anything goes (fathers day)
Crafty Boots -fathers day
Dream Valley #108 -fathers day
Digi Sketch -all about men
Come and get it -paper piecing
My Time to Craft#295 -male
Simply Create Too#87 -masculine
Creative Corner -just for dad
Crafty Sentiments -for a man

Thank you so much for stopping by today and for any comments you may wish to leave, I really appreciate every one of them.
Until next time.
Aloha
Andree x

Eleanor & Pickles hula dancer

Hello all,
I hope this finds you all well this weekend. It's so nice to finally see some lovely sunshine here in the UK too.
My post was originally meant for tomorrow but I've just found out we will be going out for the day tomorrow with my son who has a very rare day off so it's a day at the beach followed by a cream tea in Hythe! I thought I should get this done now in case we are late back tomorrow.
I've managed to fit in some lovely crafting time this weekend and have thoroughly enjoyed myself!
This card was made for the current Lacy Sunshine facebook challenge. I just love this image-(very close to my heart what with my blog name too!!)  and she was such a joy to colour . I just can't resist these gorgeous images lately and added another two to my collection this week-I really must hide that bank statement!!
For my card I chose some gorgeous Nitwit papers (Promises) to go with her and coloured her up with my Promarkers. I cut her out with an oval die and made a faux nestie using some deckled edge scissors.
I die cut a leafy shape with a Marianne die and the lettering was cut using an Xcut die. I added a paper flower, lots of glitter and some gems too:

I'd like to enter her into the following challenges;

One Sweet Challenge -dies /punches
Crafty Time -girls, girls, girls
Digi Designs -die cuts
That's Crafty -all that glitters
Aud Sentiments -bingo(markers, digi, die)
Sassy Studio #284-summer lovin
Crafty Gals Corner #22-summer fun
Lacy Sunshine # 59-tic tac toe (die cuts, lacy sunshine image, gems)
Sister Act #109 -anything goes
Cuttlebug Mania -bling

Well that's about it for me for today, I'm off to watch a film and enjoy a nice glass of wine-cheers!!
Thank you so much for stopping by today, until next time.
Aloha
Andree x

Summer Bluebirds

Hello to all my friends and followers today, I hope you are having a good week so far, finally it looks like we may get to see some sunshine in the next couple of days-woohoo!!
I've been having a little play with a freebie stamp set which came with my magazine last month-I'd completely forgotten about them until the other day so as soon as I found them I wanted to make a card.
I cut the image with a scalloped circle die and made a faux nestie and coloured the image with my promarkers. The papers are a mix -the back paper is First Edition and the front one is from my stash.  I added a strip which I punched with a Martha Stewart doily punch (I do love this punch!) and added some paper flowers, a punched heart and a die cut corner cut with a docrafts freebie die. I also die cut a leafy flourish and I added some blue gems and some glitter to finish off. I had intended to colour all of the die cut elements in blue but decided that I quite liked the soft effect of leaving them all white!

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Dies R Us # 26- love birds
One Crazy Stamper - anything goes June
Crafting Musketeers #26 - summer
CCC digi creations #26 -layer it up
Ruby's Rainbow-may blossom & butterflies
One Stitch at a Time #238-anything goes with flowers
One Sweet Challenge -dies/punches
Fab n Funky # 262-check it out
Crafty Gals Corner #22-summer fun

Well I'm off to catch up with some comments now so will wish you all a good evening. Thank you so much for stopping by, until next time.
Aloha
Andree x