Hello dear visitors and welcome to my blog. Hope you are having an enjoyable day!! Well, the Team at Crafty Cardmakers have had a wonderful, extended break but now we are back with a brand new Challenge. I am thrilled to be the host for this Challenge and the Theme is - All Creatures, Great and Small!! So, as always, you can create whatever you like, a card, scrapbook layout, mixed media piece, home decor, whatever you wish as long as it fits the Theme. Please don't just add a tiny little butterfly or similar, and think that that will do. We would like your 'Creature' to be the focal point of your creations! So, having said all that, here is my DT contribution! Let me introduce you to Blossom!! Isn't she cute?? I think she's cute! She is an Amigurumi!! For those of you who haven't heard of this before (I hadn't!) Amagurumi is a Japanese term for a knitted or crocheted stuffed toy. For some time now, I had been thinking that I would love to create some tiny teddy bears. Have been searching the web but could not find a pattern or a tutorial which was exactly what I was looking for. Then, I came across Amigurumi!! You have no idea how many gorgeous free patterns and tutorials there are for these. Or maybe you do, but I had never seen them before. I was hooked!! .. Ha! Ha! No pun intended!! The pattern for this sweet little bunny is from a lady called Stephanie. Her blog is called All About Ami and, if you wish to take a look, you can find it HERE. She has also created some video tutorials as well and I am really grateful that there are people like her who are willing to share their talents. I plan to create more of these cute little toys and, hopefully, when I get enough experience, I may even be able to create my own patterns to share. We shall see. Anyways, let me tell a little more about this litte sweetie! She stands about 4" tall and all the pieces are crocheted separately, stuffed with fibre fill and then sewn together. She even has this cute little tail. If I make another one like this, I think I will make a little pom pom for her tail. Being so small, it was a bit awkward to crochet. Her eyes are safety eyes so they won't, or shouldn't, come loose and I used embroidery thread for her nose. Now that I'm seeing this in close-up, I'll have to go back and fix up the left side so that the knot doesn't show through. Hadn't noticed that before! I cut some pieces of felt for the inside of her ears and the bottom of her feet. Sewed them on, and then embroidered the little flowers. As part of the pattern, you can actually crochet a little flower for her hat but I decided to simply glue on one of the fabric flowers from my stash. All done and dusted and didn't take all that long to make either. There you have it!! Something very different to what you are used to seeing from me but I think you will be seeing more of these from time to time. My blog has been very quiet for a while as I haven't done a lot of paper crafting lately. My mojo and my enthusiasm have both run screaming out the door and some things I've tried just haven't worked out the way I would have liked. I will keep trying though and am hoping that they will both come back soon. I would love it if you would pop on over to the CCM blog and take a peek at the fabulous creations by my Teamies and that you will be inspired to enter the Challenge. To check it out and to link up your entry here is the link - Crafty Cardmakers Challenge # 217 - All Creatures Great and Small. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!! Thank you so much for stopping by and for the lovely comments you leave on my posts. Your feedback is very much appreciated. Have a wonderful day! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello dear friends and welcome! So pleased you came by for a visit! Here we are with Crafty Cardmakers' first Challenge for 2019. Lin is our host and the Theme is 'Winter'. This is really odd for me at the moment as we are suffering through a fairly intense heat wave right now. Temperature at this moment is 36C and for the next couple of days it will be in the low 40's .. hot, hot, hot!!!! Thank goodness for airconditioning!! LOL!! Anyway, our Challenge, as always, is for whatever you care to create. It can be a card, a scrap layout, mixed media piece, home decor, whatever you wish to do is fine as long as it fits the Theme. So, for my DT contribution, I have created a little Amigurumi Snowman! He stands 5" tall and was made from a free pattern found at Amigurumi Today. To display him, I created a very simple background. Using watercolour paper, I stamped the snowflakes with embossing ink and then heat embossed them in white. I then mixed up a little Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals with water to create the colour and simply brushed it on using more water to move the colour around a bit. Colours used are Tiffany Lou's Blue and Danny Zuko's Denim The splatters were created with watered down gesso. A sheet of tissue paper was used for the foreground and I added a few berries and tiny pine cones for a little more interest. I hope you like my little snowman and the background I created for him and that you feel inspired to join in with the Challenge. For a ton more inspiration, and to link up your entry, pop on over to the Crafty Cardmakers blog and check out the fabulous creations by the rest of the Team. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge # 225 - 'Winter' Thank you so much for stopping by and for any comments you may care to leave. I read them all and appreciate each and every one!! Have fun crafting!! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

It's time for another challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and this one is one of my ABSOLUTE FAVES!! So I hope you will find time to join us this fortnight - prizes up for grabs!! A big thank you to fellow Teamie BettyC who set this challenge - SHABBY CHIC. Love it! I have had soooo much fun creating this project and I used up lots of little bitty things - fiddly, time consuming, messy desk and sticky fingers - just what us crafters love! Be warned now before you go any further this is a VERY picture heavy post - I have put 'close up' views at the bottom - please enlarge if you want a better look! I bought this house shaped box some time ago and had already painted and distressed it but when we moved house it got packed away and I finally got round to making it up. It gave me a chance to just - well have a 'play'! My gran was an accomplished dressmaker. She made everyone's wedding dresses, bridesmaids outfits, winter coats etc and all my summer dresses. I was the proud owner of a beautiful red velvet dress with a white crochet collar one Christmas when I was about 8 followed by a luscious brown corduroy coat with a leather collar for my birthday. So this project is in it's own way a tribute to her amazing needle skills - and of course her prowess with a Singer sewing machine! Quick run down through the 'storeys' - Attic - small cardboard box liberally stamped, a little Paris Passport rescued from another project, a hat, parasol, old clock and old sign, a bit of lace thrown in! First floor - Paris backed Perfume Advert, small parcel of fabric, vintage lace and a teeny pink thimble, some 'rolls' of fabric (done by using cocktail sticks and scraps!), a couple of tiny buttons, sewing machine (stamped on metal) and a 'remember' sticker. Dressmakers dummy covered in paper and some floaty fabric, a mirror made by using modelling paste, acrylic paints and metallic rubs for the frame with the insert from a piece of tin foil, a reel of vintage ribbon secured with a sparkly pin and a small cotton reel. Ground floor -from the left - image printed onto fabric (reminded me of the way my hair was done in 'ringlets' when I was small!) edged with vintage lace, a fabric rose and a pearl earring, Centre - a sewing 'basket' containing some vintage style pins, a safety pin, tape measure and scissors, a button and specs and a candelabra to see by! Right - a ladies vintage boot, more buttons and a tiny hanger with a feather bit all sat on some vintage lace. Challenges - Natalie & Amy - Shabby Chic Altered Eclectics - Alter Something Dream Valley - Buttons The Crafting Cafe - Anything Goes All Crafts Challenge - Anything but a Card Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes Created with Love - Sewing ALBC - A little bit Shabby I hope you have enjoyed my little trip down memory lane - the box is now sat on my work room wall where it evokes memories of my childhood! Thanks for visiting today - have a great time whatever you're doing. x

Hello sweet crafty friends! Welcome to my blog. So pleased you dropped by. As you can see, I'm back from my holiday. Hubby and I had a wonderful time even though the weather was not good. We just made the most out of what we had and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! Might show you a few piccies in the next few days. The new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers is hosted by Peggy and the theme is Spring into Spring!! Yes, I know, here in Australia we are well into Autumn (although going by the temperatures we've had lately you wouldn't think so) but in the UK where this challenge originates it is Spring. So, we are celebrating that lovely season of new growth, new births, warmer temps and sunshine and we would love to see your Spring creations. As usual, anything you care to make is fine. A card, layout, mixed media piece, home decor .. as long as it has a lovely Spring theme. We would love for you to join in. Just please read the rules and remember our 15 challenge limit. So, my contribution is this card made with 'Spring' flowers and some beautiful Maja papers. The papers were torn and then the top layer was crumpled a bit as well so that the flower ribbon could peek out from underneath. This ribbon is available at Megs Garden. It has those tiny flowers on both edges and I actually cut it in half so I could slide it easily in between the layers. Some strands of satin ribbon (also available at Megs Garden as part of the Bundles of Goodies) and, of course, I had to add some prills as well. Aren't those papers stunning!! Love the faded script .. beautiful! My favest flowers in the cluster (yes, they are also from Megs Garden) .. .. and I popped some sisal underneath for a bit of soft texture. The tiny leaf branches are an EK Success punch. Sorry, but I don't have the name of it. So, I do hope I have inspired you to join in with the Challenge. The Challenge ends on the 9th April and we would love to see your beautiful 'Spring into Spring' creations. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #185 - Spring into Spring Thank you so much for visiting and taking a look at my little makes. Have yourselves a wonderful day. Take care and God Bless. xoxo Marg

Hello dear friends and welcome to my blog. Hope your day is going well for you. The new Challenge is up and running at Crafty Cardmakers. Dr. Monika is our wonderful host and the Theme is Pearls and/or Gems. As always, you may create whatever you wish as long as it follows the Theme. Here is the project I created for this Challenge. The base paper is from the Misty Mountains Collection by Kaisercraft and, once again, I have stamped and heat embossed the background. The greeting is also from the same paper Collection. The small strip of paper running through the center of the card is from Maja and on top of that, I added a lovely diecut by Altenew. The flower is by Little Birdie .. .. and I finished off the card with lots of tiny pearls and gems. I do hope you will pop on over to the CCM blog to see what the rest of the Team have created to inspire you. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #240 - Pearls and/or Gems Thank you so much for stopping by and for any comment you may care to leave. Have a wonderful day and enjoy your crafting. Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello everyone and welcome!! Hope you are all having a wonderful day! The new Challenge has gone live at Crafty Cardmakers!! Jackie is hosting our Challenge this time and the theme is Floral Profusion!! We would love to see your creations covered in flowers .. LOTS of flowers!!! As always, anything you make is fine as long as it fits the theme. Please read the rules and take note of our 15 Challenge limit. Well, when I saw the theme for this Challenge my eyes lit up!! Flowers!! I love adding flowers!!! (thought I'd tell you that just in case you didn't realise. LOL!!) So, of course, I made a card (what else??) with Maja papers .. floral Maja papers (naturally!!). Did a bit of stenciling with translucent texture paste (you can see it better a little further down) and then glued down a piece of scrunched up gauze for more texture. Lots of flowers in the cluster and I also added some gem sprays and a berry. Added some pretty lace along the side .. another of my fave things to do. Had to add prills, of course .. .. mixed with silver micro beads and, if you look closely, you can just see the stenciling. The leaves were cut with a die from Cheery Lynn. More Maja papers on the inside .. Voila!! For lots of inspiration, pop on over to the Crafty Cardmakers blog and take a look at the gorgeous creations by my Teamies!! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #189 - Floral Profusion! Thank you so much for popping in to take a look and hoping you feel inspired enough to join in the fun!! Have a wonderful day!! Take care and God Bless.

Hello lovely visitors and welcome!! So happy that you stopped by! Well, it's time for a new Challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers. Lin is our host for this one and the Theme is Birthdays!!! As always, you may create whatever you like as long as it follows the Theme. I created another card for this Challenge. With the Theme being Birthdays, this was the easiest option and I am really into easy at the moment. LOL!! I raided my stash for these papers. They are from an older Prima Collection called Rondelle. I was looking for something with black in it and, when I came across these papers, well, they were just perfect! There is a piece of gauze and some upholstery thread under the flowers for texture and I added a few die cuts as well. This die is called Threads and Edges and is made by Altenew. It is available at Megs Garden. I must point out that, although I do not design for them very often any more, I am still a Guest Designer at Megs Garden and have received free items from the store as compensation in the past. These dies were actually paid for and besides, I would not recommend anything I did not also love and use. I've had these flowers for a while. They are also available from Megs Garden. If you wish to take a look, the larger one is the Burgundy/Cream open paper rose and the smaller white one is the Puffy Paper Flower. The Cameo Frame by Tim Holtz is a recent purchase. I love the fact that you get the metal frame and they also include the resin sticker to fit inside it so you can make up your own Cameo using whatever paper matches your creation. Brilliant!! Added a strip of floral lace along one of the torn edges. The greeting was computer generated, trimmed and then edged with a Sharpie. Voila!! I do hope you will take the time to pop over to the Crafty Cardmakers blog and check out the fabulous inspiration from my Teamies! You might even be persuaded to join in!! LOL!! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 210 - Birthdays Thank you so much for stopping by and special thanks to those of you who left such lovely comments on my last post. I really appreciate your kind words. Have a wonderful day!! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello sweet visitors and welcome to my blog. Hope you are having a wonderful day. There's a new Challenge starting over at Crafty Cardmakers! For this Challenge, Kim is our host and the Theme is Autumn!! As always, you may create anything you like, as long as it follows the Autumn Theme. Please read our rules and take note of the 15 Challenge limit. So, here is the card I created for my DT contribution. The papers used are from Maja and Kaisercraft. I felt they were a really good match. The leaves were cut with Tim Holz' Mini Tattered Leaves Die which I have had for ages but never got around to using. I cut them from a light brown cardstock and then coloured them using sprays made from Distress Re-inkers. I also added a few veins with a brown fine line pen. Tucked some gauze under the cluster for some soft texture, added some berries and, of course, lots of prills. The flowers were also coloured with sprays and I added a touch of gesso here and there. More of the Maja papers inside. Et Voila!! Another fabulous Challenge from Crafty Cardmakers. Take a look at the wonderful inspiration from the rest of the Team and, while you're there, why not join in the fun and link up your entry. Simply click on the link below. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #196 - Autumn. I am sharing this card with the Challenge at Fussy and Fancy Friday #196 - Fall Colours Thank you so much for your visit and for leaving me a little love, and, whatever your plans are for the day, do it safe and do it happy!!! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello sweeties!!! Today I am again with my DT project for Crafty Cardmakers. I was inspired to create a mixed media project with different shades of Green colour, so here is my little Mixed Media Tag named as "BLISS". Julie is our lovely host for this challenge and theme is just amazing. Crafty Cardmakers - Challenge #229 "Make It Green" As usual you can enter anything like a card, scrapbook, mixed media piece, home decor, art journal, 3D projects and OTPs, as long as it meets the challenge theme. Few more images: We look forward to seeing what you can come up with!! Supplies Used: Prima Marketing - Finnabair- White Gesso Prima Marketing - Finnabair- Modeling Paste Prima Marketing - Finnabair- Art alchemy- Metallique (Green Olive) Prima Marketing - Finnabair- Art alchemy- Opal Magic (Blue-Gold) Prima Marketing - Finnabair- Art alchemy- Metallique Wax(Vintage Gold) Tim Holtz - Stencil - Crate and other supplies from stash. I hope you will love my little creation. Thanks so much for visiting.. So much love Dr Monika Shukla UrooCreations I am entering this project into following amazing challenges: Art Daily Cafe - March 2019 - FRESH LOOK https://artdailycafe.blogspot.com/2019/03/march-2019-fresh-look.html (I was inspired by the moodboard's colours (Emerald, Light Green, Mustard Yellow and Dark Green) and used some elements of nature like Sea Shells, Sand, Stones and Sisal etc.) Creative Artiste: Challenge #47 "Anything Mixed Media Goes" https://creativeartistemixedmedia.blogspot.com/2019/03/welcome-to-creative-artiste-challenge-47.html (Top 3) Splashy Mix Challenge - Challenge #3 "Summer Moodboard" https://splashymixchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/03/challenge3-summer-moodboard.html (National Winner) Rhedd's Creative Spirit: March Challenge http://rheddscreativespirit.blogspot.com/2019/03/march-challengeplus-some-sad-news.html (Runner Up) Artistic Inspirations: Challenge #213 "Anything Goes" https://artisticinspirationschallenges.blogspot.com/2019/03/challenge-213.html Altered Eclectics: March Challenge "Anything Goes" http://alteredeclectics.blogspot.com/2019/02/march-already.html (Top 5) Love To Craft Challenge Blog - Challenge #32 - March Anything Goes https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/ltccb-32-march-anything-goes.html Love To Scrap Challenge Blog - Challenge #119 - Anything Goes https://lovetoscrapchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/ltscb-119-anything-goes.html Mix It Up Challenge Blog - Challenge #23 - Anything Goes + Inked Background https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/03/miucb-23-anything-goes-inked-background.html (Winner)

Hi all and welcome to my blog. So pleased you stopped by, It's time for another Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers!! Angela is our lovely host and the Theme is 'ANYTHING BUT A CARD' So, as always, you can make anything you like, as long as it is NOT a card this time. I created a little tag. The background is from a Masterboard I created a while ago. Found it in my stash and felt it was time to put it to good use. I used Distress Inks to colour the background but I'm not one hundred percent sure of the colours I used so I'm not going to try to list them. Gesso was used through the Mini Circle Explosion and the Mini Chicken Wire Reversed stencils by TCW. The stamping was done with my fave Arty and Script Stamps by Kaisercraft. The flowers are from Megs Garden and were coloured with sprays made from watered down acrylic paint and the butterfly was fussy cut from papers by Kaisercraft. For extra texture I added a diecut, a piece of gauze and an offcut of lace underneath the cluster. The quote is one I found on the net. Simply printed it on some heavy paper, cut it apart and edged it with Ground Espresso Distress Ink. Do pop over to the CCM blog and take a peek at the fabulous creations by my Teamies. I am certain you'll be inspired to join in with the Challenge. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #223 - Anything but a Card Thank you so much for your visit and for any sweet comment you may care to leave. Both are very much appreciated. Have a fabulous day! Take care and God Bless.

Hello everybody and welcome! So pleased you dropped in for a visit. It is time for another Challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and this time Judy is our host and the Challenge is to Go Green!! We wan

Hello everyone and welcome to my creative space, hope you are all having a wonderful day! The new Challenge is up at Crafty Cardmakers. Pam is our host for this challenge and it is all about adding a sentiment. We would like this to be more than just a tiny peel off in one corner. It would be nice if it was the focal point on your creation but we won't insist on that. Just make sure it is prominent on whatever you make. Anything you wish to enter is fine, just please read the rules and remember our 15 Challenge limit. The papers used on my card are from Maja. Used a piece of gauze under the flower cluster for some extra texture .. .. and randomly sprinkled some prills. My sentiment was stamped onto a piece of white cardstock and then heat embossed .. .. and I curled the corners of some of the papers layers for more interest. A twine bow .. .. a piece of lace at the side and also some stamped stitching. Would love for you to pop on over to the Crafty Cardmakers blog and take a look at the wonderful creations by my Teamies. I'm sure you will feel inspired to join in the fun!!! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge # 188 - Add a Sentiment. I am entering this card into the following Challenge Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes Thank you so much for stopping by to take a look and have a wonderful day!! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello dear visitors and welcome to my little blog. So nice of you to pay me a visit. There's a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and I'm here to share my DT creation with you. This is Challenge #238, Chanya is hosting and the Theme is 'Here Comes Summer'. Well, down here in Aus we are in the dead of Winter, so Summer is still a long way off but it was nice to create something in Summery Colours. Made the day seem warmer somehow! I have created another card and the papers used are from 49 and Market. This was made in a similar vein to the cards I've been showing you lately (when you're on a good thing, stick to it! LOL!) but it was made more recently. I cut the paper to size for my card and then added some colour to the background with Distress Inks. I simply smooshed the stamp pads onto my craft mat and then sprayed it with water and dragged the paper through the puddle. Once that was dry I used a Harlequin stamp by Kaisercraft and heat embossed with Ranger's Seafoam White Embossing Powder. There's that Texture Subway die again!! Can you guess that I love it! He! He! Works very well for both feminine and masculine cards, which is awesome! The flower is by Little Birdie and the greeting was taken from a Kaisercraft Paper pad. So, drag out all your Summery papers and embellies and have a go at our Challenge. Looking forward to seeing what you create! The rules and all the details of the Challenge, plus lots of inspiration from the rest of the Team can be found here - Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #238 - Here Comes Summer. Thank you so much for stopping by and have fun with your crafting!! Take care and God Bless oxox Marg

Hello everyone and welcome to my crafty space! Hope you are having a wonderful day!! The new Challenge has started over at Crafty Cardmakers! Marlene is the host for this Challenge and the Theme is Valentine based, so it's all about Love and Romance! As always, anything you care to create is fine as long as it follows the Theme! So, once again, I have created a card. This is not really a Valentine's card though. Hubby and I have been married for 50 years (yeah! I know!! I can't believe it either! LOL!!) but we have never celebrated Valentine's Day. Just never felt we wanted, or needed to, so, this card will simply be used to send a little love to a rellie or maybe a close friend on their birthday. The background was created with some texture paste through a mini 'Art Is' stencil by the Crafters' Workshop. Once the texture paste was dry, I sprinkled on a little LSG Magicals powder in Rizzo's Rowdy Red and then sprayed over that with water. I love the way it splatters everywhere and I love all the different colours you get with this technique. Topped it with my usual cluster of gauze, diecuts and flowers. The sentiment was printed with a label maker and then mounted on a piece of chipboard. Once it was all assembled, I swiped the cluster with a little gesso and added some stamping along the edge! Unfortunately, the stamping was not very clear and I must have hiccupped while doing it! LOL! Still, I don't mind that it's a bit messy. It is handmade after all, so not meant to be perfect!! Do go on over to the Crafty Cardmakers Blog and check out the fabulous creations by my Team Mates. You will be inpsired to join in, I'm sure!! Looking forward to seeing what you create!! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #205 - Love and Romance. Thank you so much for stopping by. Have yourselves a wonderful day! Take care and God Bless. Marg oxox

Hi everybody and welcome to my blog!! Hope you are all having a wonderful day!! It's time for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers. Jackie is our host and the Theme is Fairies or Other Mythical Creatures! As always, anything you care to create is fine as long as it fits the Theme. Must say, I do love this Theme but, when I started hunting through my stash to see if I had anything that would fit, I found absolutely nothing at all. No fairy stamps, nor any type of mythical creature stamps, stencils or anything!! Shock!! Horror!! What was I going to do?? Well, I did remembered this lovely Amigurumi pattern I saw on the net so, I went and found it again and crocheted this gorgeous little Unicorn!! Isn't he adorable?? I had this lovely green coloured five ply wool that I had been wanting to use and I felt this would be the perfect piece for it. It looks so nice against the white .. I love the combination. He's only about 4.5" tall and sits quite comfortably in the palm of your hand. I added some strands of blue to his mane and tail for a bit more contrast and interest and then decided to also add some beads for a bit of sparkle!! Something to make him stand out from the crowd! I love how it looks!! I was going to trim his mane, because it looks a bit unruly at the back, but I decided to leave it as I quite like it that way. I think he's a very handsome little fellow. For anyone who may be interested HERE is the link to the free pattern. I must point out that mine does look a little different from the original because I made some alterations to suit the wool I used and I wanted him to be a bit smaller. I also created a simpler mane and tail. I am actually contemplating if I should create a second blog just for my Amigurumis. I have made about half a dozen so far. All of them made with free patterns from the net but most of them I have adjusted to suit myself and I am wondering if I should share those adjusted patterns, always giving credit to the originals of course. Not sure if there would be much interest. I'll keep thinking on it!! So, please do pop on over to the CCM blog and take a peek at the fabulous creations by my Teamies. I am sure you will find heaps of inspiration to join in with the Challenge! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #220 - Fairies and Other Mythical Creatures. Thank you so much for popping in!! I hope you have a fabulous day and can't wait to see your entries!! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. So pleased that you dropped by! It's time for another Challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and the Theme this time around is to get Inky or Messy!! Chanya is our host and, as always, you may create whatever you like as long as it meets the current Theme. You may be pleased to know that we no longer have a Challenge limit, so you can enter as many other Challenges as you like. Well, as usual, I have created a card. Actually, I created a number of cards or, I really should say, I created a number of backgrounds using Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals, but most of them were a total failure! Just couldn't seem to get the process right. I simply ended up with these big blobs in the middle of my paper but, I am happy to say, that I did manage to get a couple I liked, one of which I am sharing here. This was, actually, the first background I did .. and didn't really like at first. Wasn't sure what kind of card I wanted to make either so, I put it aside, and tried again, and again, and again .. four times again, as a matter of fact, LOL!! Finally I made another one that I quite liked and did start making a card with that one but, even that, wasn't working out for me. So, I went back to the first one and, all of a sudden, it just came together! When I had a closer look at it, I really did start to like the different shades in the background and, once I started to build up the card, I was liking it more and more. At first, I wasn't sure what to use for the cluster but then I remembered a card made recently by Lisa of A Mermaid's Craft. She used a Chloe Stem Die by Memory Box on her card and it looked gorgeous and I remember thinking that I have that die but have never used it. So, I got it out and voila! .. I love it!! The die below is the Garland Threads Die by Altenew which I purchased just recently from Megs Garden. I really love that too!! I didn't even use any prills this time! Didn't think they were needed. Tried to capture the shimmer on this photo, but it is really difficult to pick up with a camera. In the end, I am really happy with my summery, shimmery card and I also know just the person to give it to! All good! Would love for you to pop on over to take a peek at the lovely creations by my Teamies. I am sure you will be inspired to join in with Challenge! Would love to see what you create!! To check it all out, and to link up your entry simply follow the link below. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #204 - Get Messy/Inky!! Thank you so much for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hi everyone! Hope your day is going well for you!! Time for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers. Judy is our lovely host and the Theme is 'Add a Critter'! Sounds like fun doesn't it?? I was having trouble coming up with ideas for this Challenge as I don't really have 'critters' in my stash! No stamps, no stencils, no dies or chippies! What to do? What to do??!! Then I came across a new video by Ephemera's Vintage Garden. Debbie shows how to create a floating pocket which I felt would be ideal to add to a Nature inspired Junk Journal I am in the process of making. As I was hunting through my stash (again), I found a sheet of woodland creatures which had been gifted by a friend ages ago and, problem solved! I won't go into details about putting this together. It is really simple and, if you're interested, Debbie explains it very well in her video. A few close-ups of the 'Hedgie' pocket. I used a Tim Holtz stencil (Blossom) to decorate the pocket and added a bit of raggedy lace for texture. Inside the pocket, I've added a tag, a seed packet and a couple of autumn leaves. The tags are from the Familiar Trees 1 a Digi Kit by Ephemera's Vintage Garden. The seed packets are freebies by Nik the Booksmith. The Autumn leaves are from Meg's Garden. As you can see, I have also added a few strips of washi tape. The Squirrel pocket. This pocket was decorated exactly the same as the previous one. I simply used a different tag, seed packet and leaf. The pockets themselves were made from a sheet of A4 paper which had been tea-died. On the back, I used a Kaisercraft script stamp to decorate. A last look at the two pockets together. These pockets were so quick and easy to make and I think they are going to be fabulous in my Journal. (If I ever get it finished that is. LOL!!) I love the idea that you can simply pop them into any page in the book and also move them around if you want to. I do hope you will join in with this Challenge. For more inspiration pop on over to the CCM blog and take a look at the fabulous creations by the other members of the Team. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #242 - Add a Critter. Thank you so much for stopping by and do enjoy the rest of your day. Take care and God Bless. ox ox Marg

Hi everyone and welcome. So happy to have you here for a visit. The new Challenge is up and running at Crafty Cardmakers and Josephine is our host. The Theme for this Challenge is Birthdays and, as usual, anything you create is fine as long as it meets this Theme. The papers are all by Kaisercraft. On my desk, I found a piece of scrap paper from which I had punched out a few circles, so I added that to my layers. I really like how it adds a bit of interest to the card. The clock is a printable from the net. I popped it onto a piece of chipboard and clear heat embossed it. The chippie pieces were all heat embossed and the Birthday sentiment is a sticker by Creative Just for a bit more interest, I added some white slpashes with watered down gesso. Hopefully, I have inspired you to join in with our Challenge. Would love it if you could pop over to the CCM blog and take a peek at the wonderful creations by the rest of the Team. I'm sure you'll find lots of inspiration there. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #234 - Birthdays. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello my dear visitors and welcome. So pleased you decided to stop by my blog today. The new Challenge is live at Crafty Cardmakers! Marlene is our Host and the Theme is 'That Special Someone'. As always, you may enter whatever you like. A card, scrapbook layout, journal page, home decor, whatever takes your fancy as long as it fits the Theme. For my DT contribution I have created a card for a very special lady who is celebrating a very special birthday. She is one of my closest friend's Mum and she is turning 90 this year. She is truly an amazing woman. 90 years old and still going strong. The papers are by Kaisercraft from their 'Wandering Ivy' 6.5" x6.5" paper pad. The piece of chipboard is by Little Birdie and the diecut is the Floral Sprig by Memory Box. The fabric flower was purchased from Megs Garden and the small paper flowers are by Magnolia Ink. I've also added some pieces of my fave lace and some prills and micro beads in and around the cluster. A Little seam binding bow finishes this card off nicely, I think. To find all the details of this Challenge and to take a peek at the fabulous creations by my Teamies just follow the link below. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #230 - That Special Someone. Thank you for stopping by and, to those who take the time to leave me a lovely comment, thank you so much. I love to read them. Enjoy your day and have fun with your crafting!! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello everybody and welcome to my crafty space! Hope you are having a good day!! It's time for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers. Angela is our lovely host and the Theme is - EXPLOSION OF COLOUR!! As always, whatever you wish to create is fine, as long as you use lots and lots of colour!! For my DT contribution, I have created a simple tag. I started with a piece of watercolour paper and used Distress Inks to add the colour. The colours I used are Mustard Seed, Fired Brick, Forest Moss, Stormy Sky and Seedless Preserves. Dried the inks a little with my heat gun and then daubed gesso through a Floral stencil by Kaisercraft, went around the edges of the flowers with a white gel pen and added a little stamping. Once all of that was dry, I cut it to fit a 6.5" x 3.5" Craft Tag by Ranger and glued it down. The flowers and leaves are by Little Birdie and I added some prills and micro beads in and around the cluster. The die is Sevington Border by Memory Box. This was a scrap left lying on my desk. Thought it was time to put it to good use. The sentiment was generated on my computer. I have a page of little quotes and sayings which I typed out in Word and then printed off. So handy when you need a quick little quote for something. The ribbon for the bow was coloured with the same Distress Inks used for the background. So, have I inspired you at all to join in with the Challenge? Pop on over to the CCM blog and take a peek at the creations by my Teamies. I'm sure you'll find plenty to inspire you there. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #221 - Explosion of Colour Thank you so much for stopping by. It is so lovely to have you visit and thank you for any little comment you may care to leave. Have yourselves a wonderful day! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello my lovelies and welcome. So pleased you stopped by my blog today. It's time for another Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers. Valerie is our host and the Theme is 'No Patterned Paper". No patterned paper?? So, what can I use?? Ahh!! I still have a piece left over from that Masterboard I made a while ago .. I'll use some of that!! Well, the idea didn't come about quite that simply. Took a while to even remember that I had the piece .. LOL!! But, once I located it, it all went fairly quickly from there. I actually procrastinated about this Challenge for nearly two weeks. Yeah, I know, pathetic, huh!! Just didn't know what I wanted to do. Did I just want to use cardstock, did I want to create a Masterboard or just a simple MM background?? Kept putting it off and putting it off until I only had a day or two left to get it done!!! Took a little while to find this left over piece of Masterboard. I had put it in a safe place so I wouldn't lose it! Well, it was so safe that I couldn't even find it .. LOL!! When I finally did find it, I simply cut it to the size I needed, lightly inked the edges with Ground Espresso Distress Ink and then adhered it to my card blank. Needed something to go under the flowers and I was going to use a stamp but, those of you who know my work, will also know that stamping very rarely works well for me. So, I decided to use a die cut instead. This one is by Altenew and is available at Megs Garden. So, my card was almost finished but it just needed something more. Ah!! Of course!! The old reliable prills!! Perfect! (Yes, I did try mixing a few microbeads in as well but didn't like how it looked so took them out again. A few of them managed to hang in there though. LOL!) Mmmmm!! There's still something missing!! What's this floating around on my workbench?? Ah!! A little sentiment left over from another project .. the perfect thing!! .. and done!! Sorry about all the silliness .. just felt in one of those moods .. LOL!! I hope you will pop on over to Crafty Cardmakers and check out the gorgeous creations by the rest of the Team. I am sure you will feel inspired to join in with the Challenge!! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #211 - No Patterned Paper Thank you so much for your visit and for the lovely comments left on my last post. Very much appreciated. Take care and God Bless.

Hello everyone!! Thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a fabulous day! The new Challenge is live at Crafty Cardmakers. This will be our last Challenge this year (can you believe it??) and I am happy to say I will be staying on the Team for another year! Yayy!! Mary is our host for this Challenge and the Theme, of course, is Christmas. As always, you may create anything you like as long as it fits the Theme. This is the perfect time to start showing you the Christmas cards I have created for my family and close friends this year. Usually, the cards I make for Christmas are quite similar to each other and, this year, I have made them even more alike. All of the papers and the embellishments are the same, I have simply changed the combinations slightly for each card. I made a decision earlier this year that I wouldn't buy any more Christmas card supplies. This year, I would make all of them with whatever I had left in my stash from previous years. Well, that turned out to be quite a lot. I probably have enough left still to last me for the next couple of years at least! The papers are all from previous Kaisercraft collections. Some from a 6 x 6 pad and some from a 12 x 12 pad and the sentiments are also, mostly, from those pads. I will be sharing my cards over the next few days (or weeks) and I will then explain more about the embellies used. I hope you will pop over to the CCM blog and take a peek at what the rest of the Team have created. Lots of inspiration there to inspire you to join in with the Challenge. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #224 - Christmas Thank you so much for your visit, I really appreciate you taking the time. I know how busy everyone is at this time of year. Enjoy the rest of your day!! Take care and God Bless.

Hi everyone and welcome to my little blog. Hope you are having a fabulous day. It's time for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers. Marlene is our lovely host and the Theme is 'Make It Green". As always, you don't have to make a card. You can create whatever you like as long as your piece is predominantly green. For my DT contribution, I have created a masculine card. This was created in bit of a hurry. Had a lot of stuff on my mind in the last few days and totally forgot that this Challenge was due. Didn't think I could do it but, luckily, I managed. Grabbed some Kaisercraft papers (from their Base Coat Collection), a few diecuts and some paper circles I had punched out a few days before and this is the result. The sentiment was generated on my computer and, although it looks a bit fuzzy here, it does look fine IRL. The chippie is from 2 Crafty Chipboard and I heat embossed it with metallic green and black powders. So glad I got it Done!! Check out the full details of the Challenge and take a peek at the awesome creations by my Teamies. I'm sure you will be inspired!! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #229 - Make It Green. Thank you so much for stopping by and have fun with your crafting!! Take care and God Bless.

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog, hope you are all having a wonderful day. Lin is hosting the new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and it is all about Love, Love, Love. As Valentine's Day is just a few weeks away now is the time to make something special for the one you love, or for someone in love or just something made with love!! As usual, anything you enter is fine .. a card, scrap layout, mixed media piece, home decor .. as long as it has a love theme. I decided to make a card (Ha!! Surprise, surprise!! LOL!!) .. a double fold card actually. We don't really 'do' Valentine's Day in our family so this card was made for a dearly loved friend. The papers are from Maja Design and were gifted to me by my sweet friend Heather Jacob. Added a chippie frame from Imaginarium Chipboard and placed a flair inside it. The flair was a gift from another sweet friend, Lizzy Hill. This gorgeous big bloom (another of my gifts from Heather) was white .. I simply sprayed it with some watered down Liquitex Ink to colour it. The flair below was handmade. Printed the greeting from my computer, cut it out and then just covered it with a gel sticker .. a brilliant little tip from Lizzy Hill. A strip of lace for some extra interest .. .. and some sisal added under the flower for a bit of texture. The leaves are a die-cut from Cheery-Lyn Designs (Flourish #14). Have seen these so often on other people's work and always wanted some of my own but couldn't find them anywhere. Finally was able to lay my hands on them and now I'll probably use them all the time .. love 'em!!! Usually when I make these double fold cards, I use a ribbon for the closure and then cover the back of the card to cover the ribbon. This time I've used some magnets so haven't needed the ribbon but I still covered the back because then, to me, it looks finished!! There you go!! All done!! Hope you like my card and that I have inspired you to join the challenge. If you do wish to play along, the link is below. We would love to see you there! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #181 Love, Love, Love Just remember to read the rules and best of luck! Thank you so much for dropping by to take a look and do enjoy the rest of your day! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. So happy that you stopped by. The new Challenge is starting over at Crafty Cardmakers and the Theme this fortnight is - Water. Josephine is our host for this one and, as always, you may create whatever you like as long as it follows the Theme. Well, I thought I would be back full on crafting this past week or so but that obviously did not happen. I think when I broke my wrist I also broke my enthusiasm and my mojo .. LOL!! Just can't get back into it at the mo, but I'm quite pleased that I did manage to create something for my DT contribution even though it did take a few days to get done. I created this very simple little card. This is not the first card I tried to make. It is actually my fourth attempt. I simply could not get the right effect for the background. Yeah, I do think my mojo is broken or, at least, it's bent a bit! LOL!! The first two attempts were made with different inks and paints and didn't look very nice. So then I went back to my trusty Magicals and, although I did like the result on the third attempt, I then messed it up beause I wasn't really sure what I wanted to add to it. Tried it with mermaids and dolphins but I did not like how it turned out so, that one ended up in the bin as well. I created this background by first spraying a piece of watercolour paper with water. I mixed each of the colours with water to activate them and then put a few drops of each randomly on the page. Then I sprayed over it with water again just to get the colours moving a bit more and this is the result. The Magicals' colours I used on this background are Danny Zucko's Denim, Tiffany Lou's Blue, Azure Sea Asters, Sea Mint Green and Greased Lightning Green. Don't you just love those names?? And I really loved how this background turned out so didn't want to mess this one up. Still wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with it though until I found this quote from the movie Finding Nemo and then I knew I had to add a fish of some sort. After that, it all came together quite quickly. I found the little fish on the net, printed it out and fussy cut it. I edged the fish and the quote with a black Sharpie pen and popped them up on foam tape to give a bit of dimension. I also went around the fish with more of the Danny Zucko's Denim to give it shadow and make it stand out a bit more. The 'seaweed' is the Garland Threads Die by Altenew and I added some pearls to represent air bubbles. I then used more of the Danny Zucko's Denim to add the splashes. And here it is .. all finished!!! I did make this into a card but am not really sure what sort of occasion I could use it for so, I'm thinking, I might just pop it into my art journal. 'Cos, with that quote, it's kinda uplifting and supportive and I think it's kinda cute and, I want to keep it! So there! LOL!! I hope you will pop on over to the CCM Blog and take a peek at the fabulous inspiration by my Teamies and, maybe, link up your entry. Would love to see how you interpret this Theme. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge # 209 - Water. Thank you so much for stopping by and for any words you may care to leave for me. I read every one and really appreciate you taking the time. Have a wonderful day! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello everyone and welcome. So pleased you dropped by, especially at this busy time of year. The last Challenge for 2017 has gone live at Crafty Cardmakers. June is our host and, surprise!, surprise!, the Theme is Christmas!! As usual, anything you would like to enter is fine, as long as it is Christmas themed. For this card I have used more of the papers from a 6" x 6" pad by Craft Smiths. Instead of adding lace, I used some white cardstock which was edged with the Deep Edge Floral Vine border punch by Martha Stewart. Placed some scrunched up cotton underneath the cluster for more texture and there is a small die cut doily hiding underneath there too. Added micro beads and glitter to the flowers and, of course, I scattered some prills around the card as well. The chipboard pieces are by Scrapmatts. I hope you are inspired to join in with our final Challenge for the year. To have a look at the fabulous creations by my Teamies and to link up your entry Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #202 - Christmas Please read the rules and take note of the 15 Challenge limit. Thank you so much for your visit and enjoy the rest of your day Take care and God Bless.

Hello lovely visitors and welcome to my blog. Hope you are having a wonderful day. There's a new Challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and I am happy to tell you that it's my turn to play Host! The Theme is Fancy Folds and this particular Challenge is for cards only. I wasn't sure what type of card to make for this Challenge. Thought about Step cards and Easel cards but they weren't really what I wanted to do. Then I saw a card on Pinterest that piqued my interest .. an Upright Z Fold card .. I had never made one of these so I thought, 'That's what I'll do. Something new and different.' Well, for me anyway. The papers are a mix of Maja and Kaisercraft. I seem to be using them a lot lately but they do go so very well together. I still had quite a bit of Autumn coloured bits and pieces on my work bench left over from the last Challenge (yep!! afraid I haven't really been very particular about cleaning up my Craft room) so decided to use some of them. The flowers are available at Megs Garden. They were a creamy white and I altered them with sprays made from watered down acrylic paint. I always make sure to wet the flowers with water first and then the colour soaks in really well. The leaves were cut from Maja papers with a Cheery Lynn die. Had to add some prills of course, with some micro beads mixed in, and I also added some gesso highlights to the flowers and leaves along with a few splats on the base. This is another first for me. The bit of 'lace' was made with a mould and Acrylic Gap Filler. It is a little fiddly but quite easy to do and looks pretty good, I reckon! When you start to open it right out, this card is fairly long .. .. and a bit difficult to photograph but I managed to get it in one shot. Easy to see how it stands up here. I used a gem brad to anchor it. It was fun to make and, although I probably won't use this style a lot, I might make some of my Christmas cards like this. Update: I have just found out that it was Berit Rosenfeldt who first created this fold. Thank you Berit .. it is awesome!! Unfortunately I cannot find a current blog of hers to link to but HERE is a video of the original cards. I'm afraid it's in Danish but the cards are gorgeous!! Well, I hope I have given you some inspiration to try a new style of card and to join in with our Challenge! For more inspo', pop on over to the Blog and take a look at the wonderful creations by my Teamies and then link up your entry. Please read our rules and take note of the 15 Challenge limit. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #197 - Fancy Folds. Thank you so much for your visit and for leaving me a little love .. I really appreciate it. Whatever you plan to do for the rest of your day, do it safe and do it happy!! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello sweet visitors and welcome to my blog. So happy you decided to stop by. It is time for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers. Glenda is our host for this Challenge and the Theme is Things with Wings. I decided I was going to create a couple of ATCs but, what to use as my Winged Things?? Well, my fave Things with Wings are butterflies so .. why not use those?? Why not indeed!! I used pasteboard as my base. Pasteboard is similar to chipboard but it has a layer of white paper front and back and is a bit cheaper to buy. For a bit of texture, I scrunched up a piece of tissue paper and adhered it with Matte Medium. To add the colour, I sprinkled Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals and then sprayed with water. The colour used here is Danny Zuko's Denim. The butterfly die used is the Vivienne Butterfly from Memory Box .. .. and the Magicals colour on this ATC is Tears on my Pillow Tangerine. For a touch of extra interest I added some torn washi tape at one side .. .. as well as the Threads and Borders die and a sprinkling of black prills. The words were computer generated, then trimmed to size and edged with a Sharpie pen. The doodling around the edges of both ATCs was also done with the Sharpie. To check out all the details of the Challenge and for some wonderful inspiration from the rest of the Team, pop on over to the Crafty Cardmakers blog. I'm sure you will feel inspired to join in and can't wait to see what you create. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #212 - Things with Wings. Thank you all so much for stopping by my blog today and a special thank you for the wonderful comments that were left on my last post. I do appreciate them so much. Have a wonderful day! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. A very special welcome to my new followers. Thank you so much for joining me. The time has come for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers! Marlene is our lovely host and the Theme is Add some sparkle!! So, you can created whatever you like but it must have some sparkle on it!! For this Challenge, I have created an Anniversary card using papers from Kaisercraft's Rosabella 6.5" x 6.5" Paper Pad. I love the beautiful, romantic papers in this Collection and, for me, the small paper pad is the perfect size for cards. I added some stamping and heat embossing to the main front panel. Used my fave die of the moment (Kaisercraft's Texture Subway) and a floral chippie by Little Birdie which I left raw. The sentiment is also from the Rosabella Paper Pad. At first, I wasn't sure where the sparkle was going to go but then I came across this sparkly flower and it all just fell into place. The design for this card was found on Pinterest but, you know how it goes. You find something you like and then forget to pin it and also forget where you found it. Tried to retrace my steps but got totally lost instead. A view of the inside .. .. and a better view of the front. Would love for you to head over to the CCM blog where you will find heaps of inspiration created by my Team mates. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #243 - Add some Sparkle! Can't wait to see what you create!! Thank you so much for your visit. Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello my sweet friends and welcome to my blog. A very special welcome to my new followers. Thank you so much for joining me .. I hope you enjoy the journey through my crafty world. The new Challenge is up at Crafty Cardmakers. It is hosted by Mary and it is all about Things with Wings. Anything with wings will count. Birds, fairies, butterflies and other insects, aeroplanes and even hearts as long as they have wings. As always, anything you create is fine. A card, scrap layout, mixed media piece, some home decor, as long as it fits the theme. We would love for you to join in! Please read the rules and remember our 15 Challenge limit. For this challenge I chose to create an Art Journal page. Can't remember when I last did one of these but I must say, I did enjoy the process. I do realise this is not terribly original. There are so many AJ pages on pinterest with a similar design but, as I hadn't worked on one of these for so long, it was an easy subject and it fitted the theme of the Challenge. I used watercolour paper and randomly covered it with texture paste instead of gesso just to get some texture happening. I played around with some Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals to colour the background. It was the first time I have actually used these and I must say I love them!! Didn't quite get the effect I was looking for but I think that is just going to take more practice. The chippy is from 2Crafty Chipboard and I simply coated it with more of the texture paste. Lots of stamping underneath. The clock and the butterflies were free printables from the web. I simply fussy cut them and mounted the clock on a piece of scrap chipboard for dimension and strength. I added some prills .. .. lots of prills .. .. 'cos I just love the look of them!! Really happy with the way this turned out. Think I might hang it on my Craft Room wall. Once again, I hope I have inspired you to take part in the Challenge. We would love to see the Things with Wings that you create!! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #186 - Things with Wings. Pop on over and take a look at the wonderful creations by the rest of the Team .. I'm sure you will be well and truly inspired!! Thank you so much for paying a visit and having a look at my little makes and do enjoy the rest of your day. Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello again sweet visitors and welcome to my little creative space. It's time for another Challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers. The Challenge Theme is 'Thankful' and Maike is our Host this time. As

Hello sweet visitors and welcome to my blog. I am so happy that you dropped by. The new Challenge is up at Crafty Cardmakers and I am the host .. Woo! Hoo! This is my first time as host and I have really been looking forward to it. As you can see by my post title, this challenge is all about the men. You can create whatever you like as long as it follows a masculine theme. I decided to create a card .. surprise!! surprise!! LOL!! The papers used are from Kaisercraft and I have created another version of the tied down tags on a double fold card. Prettied this tag up with a metal trinket that I cut in half. Used the other half of the trinket on the opposite side. Am totally in love with these flairs that have been in my stash for ages. Unfortunately, I haven't got many left and, as I have no idea where they came from, I won't be able to get any more. Boo! Hoo! Added some washi tape which was torn in half before it was stuck down. I placed the straight edges back to back and it created quite a unique effect .. I like it! More washi on the inside .. .. and Voila!!! Another male birthday card, done and dusted!! For some more inspiration, pop on over to the Crafty Cardmakers blog and take a look at what our fabulous DT have created and then join in the fun. We would love to see what you create and would also love to know who it was created for. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #190 - For a Special Man/Boy or Father's Day. Please take note of our 15 Challenge limit. Thank you so much once again for dropping by. I am so pleased you took the time to take a look and I do hope you enjoyed your visit. Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello lovely visitors and welcome to my blog. A special welcome to my new followers. Thank you so much for joining me on this creative journey. There is a new Challenge starting at Crafty Cardmakers. Glenda is our Host this time around and the Theme is all about being Spooky!!! Anything you care to create is fine, it doesn't have to be a card but it must be Halloweenish!! LOL!! Is that even a word?? Guess it is now!! This time I created a tag but, as I don't participate in Halloween and don't possess any 'spooky' items in my stash, I simply used the Halloween colours of black, orange and purple. The inspiration for this tag came from Autumn Clark who created a stunning Graduation card in Halloween colours. You can see it here. I cut the base tag from black cardstock and covered it with some Prima papers. Die cut some leaves from orange cardstock and paper and also used some left over leaves from my 'Fancy Folds' card here. I have no idea where the flower came from nor do I remember what colour it was originally. When I found it while searching through my stash, it had obviously been sprayed red, so all I did was respray it again with some watered down acrylic paint. You can still see some of the red shining through. It looks like a Prima flower to me but I may be wrong. Layered a paper doily and a die cut one under the flower cluster and also added a scrap from a Prima journal tag under the leaves. A little touch of lace for more texture! Attached a twine bow at the side .. .. and more twine at the top of the tag .. .. and it was done!!!! I hope you like my little Halloweenie tag and that I have inspired you to join in with the Challenge. For more inspiration, pop on over to the Crafty Cardmakers blog and take a look at the fabulous creations by my Teamies and then link up your entry. Don't forget to read the rules and please take note of our 15 Challenge limit. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #198 - Spooky Thank you so much for dropping by and for leaving me a little love. I really appreciate it!! Enjoy the rest of your day. Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello sweet visitors and welcome to my blog. So nice of you to drop in for a visit. Maike is the host for the current challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers which is to add some texture. You can interpret this any way you like. Either embossing (heat or dry), texture paste, fabric, anything that comes to mind. Let your imagination go wild! You don't have to make a card, anything you wish to enter is fine. It can be a card, a scrap layout, mixed media piece, home decor or anything else you care to create as long as it fits the theme. For my contribution, I decided to make a 'man' card. The papers are from Kaisercraft's Base Coat. An older collection but, for male cards, it is ideal. Plenty of paper layers with the edges distressed, and I have added some texture paste through a stencil, some burlap webbing and washi tape. The clocks and cogs, etc. used as my focal image was found on the net. I printed it out a couple of times and fussy cut the clock and some of the cogs so I could layer it for more dimension. I did try covering the top layer with some crackle paste but it totally washed out the colour so then I simply added a few epoxy stickers which worked out well I think. Have to get myself some clear gesso if I want to try the crackle paste again. Was hunting through my punches for another project and found this corner punch which I'd forgotten about. Thought it perfect for this. The usual on the inside .. .. and done!! I hope I have inspired you to join in with the challenge. If you do decide to participate here is the link Crafty Cardmaker Challenge 182# Add some Texture We would love to see what you come up with. Don't forget to read the rules! Thank you so much for visiting and for any comment you may care to leave. Enjoy the rest of your day. Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Well, hello everyone and a very happy new year to you all. This is the first Challenge of the year for Crafty Cardmakers and so it was decided to start our year off with an easy 'Anything Goes' Challenge. Our fearless leader, Lin, is hosting this one and there is also a one off prize on offer which was donated by the lovely Kim. As this Challenge is Anything Goes, I thought it the perfect opportunity to share some of the Amigurumi dolls I crocheted recently. The patterns for all of these dolls were freebies from the net. This is the Kelly Doll and, if you are interested, you will find her pattern HERE. She is made with 4ply yarn and I used a 1.75mm crochet hook. As you can see, her beret is removable .. .. as are her bag and jacket. Her top, pants and boots are part of the doll and cannot be removed. For her hair, I have used a super bulky yarn called Hometown USA by Lion Brand. I actually split the yarn in two before hooking it to the head. I made this doll a couple of months ago and cannot remember which pattern I used. A touch of old age I think .. LOL!! I do know that I used 8ply yarn for this one with a 2.00mm crochet hook. The dress is tied at the back with a couple of bows and is removable. I love the hair on this doll. It is also made with a super bulky yarn but I had this in my stash for quite a while and have no idea what brand or type it is. Once it was hooked on and cut, I simply fluffed it out a bit. This doll was also made with the Kelly Doll pattern. She is slightly taller as I added a few extra rows to her legs and I also gave her a different jacket. It is so easy to adapt these patterns. If you want a different look to your doll, simply add a few rows to make them taller or, you could also add a few extra stitches to change the shape. Just make sure you adjust the rest of the pattern accordingly. Her jacket is also removable and her hair is made from the same yarn as the first Kelly Doll. Different colour obviously! LOL! I actually added a little nose to this doll and I think I might continue to do that for any future dolls. I kinda like it!! Might even decide to try adding a mouth .. won't hold my breath for that though. Can be a bit tricksy! I love these boots! Sooo cute!! Please pop on over to the CCM blog and take a peek at the fabulous creations by my Teamies. I'm sure you will be inspired to join in! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #248 - Anything Goes Thank you so much for stopping by. I am going to make an effort to post a bit more often as I have been very slack lately. Life gets in the way at times doesn't it? Have a wonderful day! Take care and God Bless.

Hello everyone! Thank you for stopping by my blog today, so nice to have you visit. A very warm welcome to my new followers too. Lovely to have you share my crafting journey. It's time for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and this time Jackie is our lovely host and the Theme is 'Add Some Texture'. As always, anything you care to create is fine as long as it follows the Theme. For my DT contribution to this Challenge, I have created an Art Journal page. I added a few strips of Washi Tape to a sheet of 5" x 7" watercolour paper and then added some coloured texture paste through a stencil. The background colour was added using Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals in Danny Zuko's Denim and Tiffany Lou's Blue. My fave colours at the moment! I simply sprinkled them onto the paper and then sprayed with water. The stamping came next. I used Archival ink and a texture stamp by Prima. I believe it's called 'Crackle'. The focal cluster includes a piece of coloured gauze, some jute webbing, layered ephemera and a couple of wood hearts by Kaisercraft. The quote was computer generated. I lightly inked the edges and, as you can see, I also did a little doodling as well. So, I hope you have found some inspiration here and will play along. There's lots more inspiration to be found on the CCM blog from the fabulous creations by my Teamies. While you're there, you could also link up your entry!! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #226 - Add Some Texture Thank you so much for your visit and for any sweet comment you may care to leave. I appreciate it immensely. Have a great day!! Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hello everyone and welcome!! So happy that you stopped by. A very special welcome for my new followers! So pleased you decided to join me on my creative journey. A new Challenge is now live at Crafty Cardmakers and the Theme is Dies or Punches! Jo is our lovely Host and, as always, you may create whatever you wish as long as it follows the Theme. For my DT contribution, I have created a masculine card and, as I don't have very many punches, I have used a couple of dies. The papers are by Kaisercraft. I love to use their 6.5" x 6.5" pads as they are the perfect size for cards. Some embossing and stamping on the background. Both the harlequin and the script stamp are also by Kaisercraft. The die above is called Texture Subway and, you guessed it, it's by Kaisercraft!! The greeting is also by Kaisercraft. In the back of their paper pads they have a couple of pages of little punch out greetings. Another reason I love their pads. The clock is a printable from the net and the Cogs & Gears die is by .. wait for it! .. Cheery Lynne. Surprise!! It's not by Kaisercraft! LOL!! These types of diecuts can be very thin and flimsy and I like my embellies to be a bit more substantial so I usually cut the shapes out a few times and then glue them on top of each other for more dimension. I also aged the cogs and gears by swiping them with a bit of Nuvo Embellishment Mousse. Used a bit of the same paper to decorate the inside. So crafters, get out your dies and punches and join in with the Challenge!! Would love to see what you create. If you pop over to the CCM blog you will find a whole heap of fabulous inspiration by the rest of the Team. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #237 - Dies or Punches. Thank you so much for stopping by. Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

This is a page in progress. Please come back every once in a while as I will be adding projects to this page. Page 28 Art Journal Page - Find Your Fire Blog Post HERE Page 27 CCM Challenge #241- Autumn Colours Blog Post HERE Page 26 Art Journal Pages Blog Post HERE Page 25 Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #226 - Add Some Texture Blog Post HERE Page 24 Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #209 - Water Blog Post HERE Page 23 Dream In Colour Blog Post HERE Page 22 Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #200 - Anything but a Card Blog Post HERE Page 21 Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #186 - Things with Wings Blog post HERE Pages 19 &20 SATW Case File Click HERE to go to the Blog Post Pages 17 & 18 CSI Case File Click HERE to go to the Blog Post Pages 15 & 16 'BUTTERFLY' Click HERE to go to the Blog Post Pages 13 & 14 CSI CASE FILE Click HERE to go to the Blog Post PAGES # 11 & 12 LIVE / LOVE Click HERE to go to the Blog Post PAGE # 10 'CHERRY BLOSSOMS' Click HERE to go to the Blog Post PAGE # 9 'HAPPINESS' Click HERE to go to the Blog Post. PAGE # 8 'BUTTERFLIES and WASHI TAPE' Click HERE to go to the Blog Post. PAGE # 7 'BIRDHOUSE' Click HERE to go to the Blog Post. PAGE # 6 'BUBBLES' Click HERE to go to the Blog Post PAGE # 5 'JUST BREATHE' Click HERE to go to the Blog Post PAGES # 3 & 4 'DREAM - BELIEVE' Click HERE to go to the Blog Post PAGE # 2 'BUTTERFLY' Click HERE to go to the Blog Post PAGE # 1 'FLY' Click HERE to go to the Blog Post.

Hello dear friends and welcome to my blog. So pleased you stopped by today. A very warm welcome to my new followers too. So happy you decided to join me on my creative journey. It's time again for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers. Kim is our lovely Host and the Theme for this Challenge is one of my faves! It is all about 'Flowers'. As always, anything you wish to create is fine. It doesn't have to be a card, but it must follow the theme. The papers I've used for this card are from Kaisercraft's Pen and Ink 6.5" x 6.5" pad. Created a little banner to run down the side and also tore the edges of some of the paper layers. Tucked in a few bits of lace and added some prills and micro beads. A bit of gauze and some die cut leaves were arranged behind the Little Birdie flowers and I added a twine bow .. .. as well as a little dry brushing with gesso. I hope this has given you a bit of inspiration to join in with the Challenge. To find lots more inspo and ideas, pop on over to the Crafty blog and take a look at the wonderful creations by my Teamies. Crafty Cardmakers Challenge # 228 - FLOWERS. Looking forward to seeing what you create. Thank you so much for your visit and enjoy the rest of your day. Take care and God Bless. oxox Marg

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog. I hope you are all staying safe and well and are keeping yourselves busy while the world is in lock down. Luckily for us in South Aus, our restrictions are starting to ease. Hopefully people will continue to do the right thing and we will keep moving forward. I wish to share a little envelope album I've created. The design for this comes from Dawn Meadows of The Book Vandal Shop (Here is the link to the video) and is the same design as my previous envelope album (Here). I have added a couple of small design changes but it is, basically, the same. I must warn you that this is a huge post so, grab yourself a cuppa before you start and, hopefully, you will stick with me to the end. The papers used are by Kaisercraft, from their 6.5" Antiquities paper pad and the finished size of the album is 6.75" x 4.5" x 0.75". I didn't do much embellishing on the front. Just a little flower cluster and a fancy book plate. The closure is a simple wrap around with twine and I've just added a couple of beads to the ends. As in the previous album, this one opens both to the right and to the left. This view from the top will show you what I mean. As you can see, it's only a small album but you can fit quite a bit into it. So, when you open the book from the left (I'll show the other opening later in this post) it reveals a flip page and pocket on the left side and the front of the junk journal on the right side. There is photo collage decorating the front of the flip page and a large tag inside the pocket. On the back of the tag I just added a few pieces of torn book page leaving plenty of space for photos or for journaling. The flip page is one of the design changes I made to the original. As you can see I've added another photo collage and then on the right is a small poem I found on the net about books. I love to read and so this really hits the right spot for me. I love this little poem. You'll notice that the photos I have added to this album are all about books so, I guess, this will be my Book Book. LOL!! On the right side of the page is the small Junk Journal and this is the other design change. In the previous album, the Journal was actually sewn into the album but, I wanted to be able to remove this one so the back cover simply slips into the pocket. Added to the pocket is another bookish photo collage. I won't show you the whole Junk Journal as this post will be way too long already, but I will just show a few of the pages. I've added stenciling and torn bits of book pages and washi tape .. .. a little touch of lace, an envelope and some printed pages. Altered some paper clips to add the flowers .. .. and added a few word strips as well. Here you can see how it just slips in, and out, of the pocket .. .. and this is how I finished off the twine after sewing the signatures together. So this is the page that opens the other way. There is another flip page and pocket on the left and a diagonal belly band on the right. Another full size tag inside the pocket .. .. with the back left practically bare apart from the torn bits of book page. Can you see my faux pas? I placed the tab on the wrong side!! Duh!! So, instead of making a whole new tag, I simply added another tab to the correct side. Open the flip page to reveal another photo collage and another book poem. This poem is brilliant. When I read, I totally lose myself in the story and this poem says it all!! Love it!! Under the belly band there is a little envelope which holds a bookmark, (are you surprised?? LOL!!) and a couple of tags as well. I have shown the envelope before in another post so, if you are interested, you will find it HERE. The back of the album was left plain. I thoroughly enjoyed creating this booklet and I really love how it turned out. I hope you have enjoyed seeing it. I do have two more books on the go at the moment. They are quite different from this album and I hope to be sharing them in the next few weeks. Am entering this into the Mini Album Makers Challenge for May. Thank you so much for your visit and any comment you may care to leave. I would love to know what you think. Take care, stay safe and God Bless.

Hello everyone and welcome!! Lovely to see you here!! Its time for the first Challenge of 2018 over at Crafty Cardmakers and I am happy to say, I will be staying on for another Term. Thank you Lin!! I thoroughly enjoy working alongside all of the lovely ladies on this Team. They are so creative and their inspiration certainly helps to keep the creative juices flowing!! The Theme for this Challenge is Bling's the Thing and Lin (our fearless Leader) is our Host. As always, you may create anything you like as long as it meets the Challenge criteria. The papers I have used for this card are a mix from Maja (the dark blue) and Kaisercraft. Added a row of tiny pearls to the pretty piece of lace attached to the side of the top layer. The chippie is by 2 Crafty Chipboard . I daubed it with Cloud White Versa Magic Stamp Pad to lighten it and then attached a large glass bead. Usually these beads live at the bottom of the vase when I have fresh cut flowers to display. They make it easy to keep the arrangement steady and they also make the flowers last a bit longer. I have thought for a while that they could look nice on a card too so, when I was looking for that extra bit of bling, I popped one on and, luckily, I like it!! The bloom is a paper Azalea which is available from Megs Garden, and was originally white. To give it that gorgeous bright blue colour, I sprayed it with Peacock Feathers Distress Spray Stain. Although you can't really see it, the stamens I used also have some glitter on the tips. For a little more bling I added some gem flourishes to the flower cluster. The leaf die is Flourish #14 by Cheery Lynn. It is quite difficult to pick up the bling when you are photographing but, it does sparkle quite prettily in real life. I invite you to go over and take a look at the gorgeous creations by my Teamies. I'm sure you'll be inspired to play along and link up your own creation. Would love to see what you come up with! Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #203 - Bling's the Thing!! Thank you so much for stopping by. Take care and God Bless.

Well, hello again my dear visitors, and welcome. So happy you decided to stop by my blog. It is time for another Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers. This time around, Judy is our host and the Theme is Go Green. Your creation doesn't have to be totally green but we would like the majority of it to be green. In other words, please don't just pop a leaf in the corner and think it will qualify, it must be mainly green. For a bit of a change from my usual card .. this time I have created a couple of ATCs. The background was part of a masterboard that I created a while ago and never used. Felt it was ideal for this Challenge. The board was made with Distress Inks. The colours I used are Forest Moss, Faded Jeans, Wild Honey and Mustard Seed. I used some translucent texture paste through a harlequin stencil and, while it was still wet, I sprinkled it with white embossing powder and heat set it. This is one of the few times that I actually managed to heat emboss something without getting the powder all over the place and making a mess. Yayy me!!! The chippies are from Imaginarium amd I lightly coloured them with a VersaMark stamp pad in Laurel Leaf and then rubbed the edges randomly with Twinkling H2O's. It looks a bit yellow in the photo but IRL it is a sparkly gold and looks quite pretty. Attached a small Kaisercraft brad and added some prills and microbeads. The second ATC is a mirror image of the first. I used all the same elements and just placed them on the opposite sides. There is a little bit of stamping on the background and, the paper underneath the chippies are scraps left over from the previous ATCs I created HERE. Some of the techniques I used on that set I have also used on these. Both quotes were generated on my computer and I doodled around all the edges with a Sharpie pen. Finished off both ATCs with some splashes of black and white acrylic paint. Another look at both ATCs together. Quite happy with the way these turned out. Hope you like them too. Also hope I have given a little inspiration for you to join in with the Challenge and would love for you to pop on over to the Crafty blog and take a look at the wonderful creations by my Teamies. You are certain to get inspired then. Looking forward to seeing what you create!! To get all the details of the Challenge and to link up your entry Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #207 - Go Green. Thank you so much for stopping by today and for any little comment you may care to leave. Have a wonderful day! Take care, stay safe and God Bless. oxox Marg