Hugga Mugga Doggie : )

Morning sweet peeps and ohhh what a lovely day it is here on Chester today.

NOT that I am seeing much of it because I am super busy with work etc, but at least it’s nice to look out of the window,  and I don't really do sitting in the sun any way lol!!

So today I have a card this week’s Papertake challenge which is

Take Your Pick

and I went for the sketch option and used ….

... this one here.

And this is what I did.

Do you like the sweet image?  It’s a bit of a sneakie peekie, and he is called

Mug of Tea

He is one of the new  Lili of The Valley release which will be out soon.

I coloured him with Copics – not too may used and he is very easy to colour as well – and these are the colours I used -

E35, E40, E42, E43,  R05, R17, R27, R59, W00, W1. W3

The papers which I LOVE are LOTV  Sunny Side Up, and the sentiment is from the Sentiments to Fit Scroll set.

Here’s a few pics -

A gorgeous double bow made with Black Seam Binding from The Ribbon Girl : )

Sorry about the pics today – we are taking up the floor in the conservatory which is where I do my photos usually,
so I had to go somewhere else  and the light isn't nearly as good. The last one is a bit blurry : (

Right, enjoy your day, whatever you're doing,  and I’ll see you soon as soon.

Hugs to all xxx

Pretty Pink Heart

 

Good morning  peeps and I hope that you are having a lovely week so far.

It’s time to head on over to Papertake Weekly and this week our theme is

Ooh So Pretty

and we just want to to make something pretty or add something pretty to your work.

There’s a fab prize from The Ribbon Girl as well so go and have a butchers if you get a sec xx

The card I’ve made today is a bit special because it’s actually for somebody – often my card aren’t, but this one is.

So ….

 

… here is is.

It’s another quick and simple card and I’ve used some gorgeous Tonic Studios Dies mixed with some Ribbon Girl pretties.

The older die is the Tonic Studios Affections Insert Die – On Mother’s Day – and I  just cut the largest inside edge  into a piece of white card which I then layered onto some pink before sticking to my card base.

I then used some of the Tonic Heart Stamp and Dies Sets and the pink heart in the centre is cut using the outside edge from the Paisley set, then I cut another one exactly the same in white and added the inside edge from the Floral set

I LOVE how all of these sets works so well together and they are available on pre-order from Crafty Devils .

 

 

A bit of pretty here.

I went around the edge with some Nuvo Pearl White Crystal Drops then added a sprinkling of Candy Pink Nuvo Glitter.
I also used the Nuvo Glue pens on part of the heart design and added a bit more there.

 

Once again I have used one of the tail parts of the Large Lacy Bow set to stamp my sentiment onto.

And WHAT a sentiment – this is from Set 92 Birthdays & Best Wishes from Lili of The Valley  and it is fabulous value. You get 12 wavy sentiments for only £8. And there’s a cracking Christmas offer on right now as well – go and have a mooch because you snooze you lose peeps lol xx

 

 

A pretty little sparkly made with some hot glue and Candy Pink Glitter : )

And those gorgeous bows are made from 25mm Rose Pink No 57 Large Check Gingham ribbon and  9mm White/White Spot Organza ribbon, both of course from The Ribbon Girl.

So that’s my card for today and thank you for stopping by.
Have the fabbiest of days,  whatever you’re doing, and huggiest of  hugs to all,

 

One For The Boys : )

Good morning lovely peeps and I hope that you are OK today.
It’s another sunny day here in Chester and it’s so nice to wake up to this rather than rain and wind, although I will be moaning when it gets too hot lol.

So it’s time to head on over to the Papertake Weekly challenge and this weeks our theme is

Something For The Boys

and as father’s day is looming, we hope you find lots of inspiration over there cos the team have been busy busy.

So what did I do?

I did this : )

I made the base card using the largest outside edge from the new Tonic Studios Topnote Trellis set.
I cut 2 out, made a little fold across the top of 1 of them, added some tape then stuck them together.

I then added some of the gorgeous new Lili of The Valley Sunny Side Up papers  and these were literally some scraps I had left over from the 2 other cards I’ve shared on here recently. Waste not want not!!!

The centre panel is made using one of the centre dies from the Tonic Studios Garland Fancy Idyllics set from Crafty Devils and the sentiment is from another Idyllics set – Delicate Drape. The Garland Fancy set is on offer at Crafty Devils at the moment so if you’ve been thinking about it, now’s your chance : )

Here’s a coupe of pics ….

 

Some beautiful Tonic Studios  Ebony Nuvo Crystal Drops ……

…. some string, buttons and and lots of dimension, and it’s finished.

You could easily convert this into a girls card by swapping the papers, using ribbon rather than the string and using a different colour card for your base.

So that’s me done for and thank you for stopping by.

Have a lovely day and huggiest of hugs to all xx

You’re A Star

Hi there peeps – hope you are all OK today.

I’ve not posted for a while as I’ve had all sorts of stuff going on – none of it good really – but we are all OK now and it’s back to crafting again.

Before I get to the card, I just have to tell you that I have set up a brand new blog which is specifically for my Tonic Studios makes ( I’ll still be using this one as well) . But everything ‘Tonic’ will be put on there and all in one place so it will hopefully make things a lot easier to find. You can check it all out right here.

So the card I made here is for the challenge over at Papertake Weekly and we have our

Anything Goes

theme with the option of making something summery.

And …

.. this is what I did.

I used beautiful Tonic Studios Star Layering die set which is available from Crafty Devils and I created lots of dimension by scoring the stars from the tip of each point, right the way across to the other side and I did this on all 5 points, then I simply valley and mountain folded the creases.

The beautiful papers are Lili of The Valley Sunny Side Up and they will be available from this Saturday 6th June.

 

The white star background was made using the dies from the set as well. 
I used the 2 smallest dies and cut several out and then glued them randomly down onto a piece of card.

Then I ran a Nuvo Glue Pen around the outside of each star and sprinkled it with  Nuvo Pure Sheen Diamond Glitter.

Do you like the little sparkler?
I nicked this idea from Jodie so I can't take the credit, but what a fabulous idea.

She used the new Tonic glue gun and just put a blob onto a glass craft mat then covered it with glitter.
A few minutes later, you have a gorgeous little embellishment that has cost you next to nothing to make and looks lovely.

So that’s my card and thank you for stopping by today.
I hope you like the new blog and  that it makes life easier if you are just looking for the Tonic stuff.

Have a great day and hugs to all xxx

Happy Happy Happy : )

Good morning and a very Happy St Patrick’s Day to everybody.

We’re heading on over to the Papertake Weekly challenge and this week our theme is

Happy …. Anything

…and all you have to do is to make a card or project for a happy event such as Happy Birthdays, Happy St Patrick’s Day, Happy Easter etc.
Anything you want, as long as it's happy!!

We’re sponsored by our Mary at The Ribbon Girl so our winner is also going to be very happy indeedy.

So ….

… this is what I did.

I used a couple of Tonic dies which I got from Crafty Devils and they are -

Deco Trellis Base Die Set (I made the base in the same way as I did for the owl a few posts back)

Topper And Frames Die Set - Flora

The beautiful card is also from Crafty Devils and it’s Papermania A4 Cardstock Packs - Capsule Collection - Wild Rose.
Such soft and muted colours  – I love it.

The bow is made using 15mm White No. 1 Berisford Satin ribbon and I topped it with a
40m Pale Pink Daisy, both from The Ribbon Girl

The sentiment is from my beloved Lili of The Valley Sentiments to Fit Scroll set – what ever would I do without this set!!!

So that's me done for today.
I’m going to be AWOL for a few days because I’m setting off to jolly old Brum tomorrow for 4 days of crafty fun at the NEC. I’ll be doing my Tonic thing on the Crafty Devils  stand so if you’re passing, do come and say howdy – it is always fab to see lovely crafty friends.

Take care and if you are going to the NEC, have a great time and I’ll see you soon as soon.

Huggiest of hugs to all xx

An Owlie Tutorial

Good morning peeps and I hope that you are all OK and having a great week so far.

It’s that time of the week when we head on over to catch up with the Papertake gang and this week, our theme is

Mum’s The Word.

If you get a sec do nip over and check out the cardage because it is beautimous, I kid you not.

My card today something that I made when I was doing my Tonic thing in Farnborough and I also made some of them when I was in Glasgow. I really am loving these dies – they cut so beautifully and there are endless possibilities. I have to say a huge thank you to all the sweet crafters who came to the shows and stopped by to say hello.
What a lovely bunch of crafty peeps you are xx

Anyway, I’m waffling so back to the card.

I had made a plain white card using the Deco trellis set and I kept looking at it and thinking that I could easily turn it into an owl.
So I had a go and this is it. 
Lots of people loved it so I said that I would put a tutorial on here.
It’s a picture one for now but I’ll try and do a vid as well.

It is ohhh so simple to make and super cute.

What do you think?

I’ve called her Olive Owl : )))

Although I've done a girl owl, you could easily turn this into a boy owl by changing the colours and making a little hat instead of adding  the ribbon.
I’ll pop the boy owl I made on here tomorrow but for now, here’s how I made old Olive.

You will need the following supplies which I got from Crafty Devils 

Tonic Deco Trellis Base Die Set 
Tonic Indulgence Affections Die - 478e On Mothers Day
Tonic Layering Circles Set 
Tonic Studios Scalloped Square Layering Dies Set
(Crafty Devils are just updating their website so I'll pop back later and add any missing links).

And from your local craft shop – pink, white, brown and black cardstock plus stuff to decorate.

OK so here’s what you do.

Get your die cuts all done ….

The circles I’ve used are the smallest in the set ( 2 each  in white and brown for the eyes and feet)  and the next size up, 2 each in brown and black for the eyes. And then one more in white  cut from the next size up again for the rolled rose which is optional.

The heart is the smallest from the Mothers Day set, cut in brown, and used for the wings – you will need to cut this in half.

The beak is cut using the smallest scalloped square in brown.

The eyelashes are bits left over from the From Me To You set (thank you Jo Austin for that fabulous idea chick xx) 

The white shape that they are resting on in the photo (which is the owl’s tummy), is the smallest outer edges cut as a solid shape from the Deco Trellis set.

You also need 2 of the largest outer edges cut as solids from the Deco Trellis set, cut in dark pink card and 1 of the largest outer and inner cut together cut in pale pink card.

Now you’ve got the cutting out of the way, here’s how you assemble.

To make your base card …

Make a fold near to the top of one of the pieces, add some glue or tape and then fold down. 
Glue the other shape on top.

This technique will work with other dies as well to make a base card that is a bit different.

Now back to the owl.

Take the outer and inner shape cut from pale pink card as shown in the pic here and …..

.. stick to base card.

Then ….

… glue down the smaller solid shape to the card base using foam pads.

Now for the eyes.

then …

and once that’s done ….

… add the eyelashes if you want them and the black dots or googly eyes.
You can have fun chopping and changing how you put the eyes together and you will get loads of different looks.
My cross eyed owl seemed to be popular with the Glasgow ladies lol.

Now for the wings ….

Chop the heart in half and add some foam pads, then stick down.

And now for the feet -

… fold the brown circles in half and glue one half to the inside front then fold the other out outwards as shown.
Please excuse them scuzzy pic here but I was in  my own light, doh!!!

All that's left to do it to decorate it and generally give it a bit of personality.

You could add letters to the tum to spell put the recipients name, or add lace, ribbons, flowers etc etc. You don't even really need to make a card base if you done want to - you could just make up the owl missing out the first bit  and stick it down onto the front of a card blank if you wanted.

And that, me darlins, is that.

Thanks to anybody who has managed to stick it out until the end – we are very pic heavy today and they are not as good as I would have liked them to be because of the light (grr) but I hope you get the gist of what I’ve done.

If you make any, please send me a link so I can come and be nosey and of course, please feel free to email me if you get stuck or I haven't explained meself very well!!

Enjoy the rest of your day and huggiest of hugs to all xxx

Happy Pancake Day : )

Morning peeps and a very happy (Pancake) Tuesday to you xx

It’s time for a trip to Papertake Weekly and  we are sponsored today by our Mary and Andrea from The Ribbon Girl.

We have an eyes down look in theme cos it’s time for a spot of

BINGO

and here’s …

… the grid.

I went for the top row ie ribbon, gems and punches …

.. and this is what I did.

I used one of the new Lili of The Valley release and this is  Pancake Day – seems appropriate I thought.
And I coloured him in Copics in these colours -

Skin – E0000, E00, E01, E13, R05
Hair – E31, E35, E35, E39, E50
The rest – CF00, C1, C3, C4, C7, C9, C10,  E31, E35, E39, E50, E81,  YG0000, YG00, YG03, YG97, YG99

The paper is One Birdie Lane : )

A bit of fiddle-dee-dee here.

I found a bit of wide spotty grosgrain and topped it with a bow made from 25mm Black/Cream Rustic Gingham Berisford No 10, a green spotty button and some Black Hemp Twine, all from The Ribbon Girl.

The punch is a Martha Stewart Zig Zag punch which I’ve had for aaaaaages – I think you can still get them though : )

So that’s what I did.
If you get a sec, nip over and check it out – the DT cardage is FAB.

We have the dinks coming over for pancakes and I have my list of requirements.
Richard and I will have lemon and sugar, for Emma it is Maple Syrup, Kyla will have lemon and sugar, Nikkie will probably have both and Thea wants cherry jam!!! 

I’ve got 2 pans ready so there’s less of a wait in between. I don't like making them and reheating them – they're not quite  the same.

Enjoy your day and see you soon and huggiest of hugs to all xxx

 

It’s A Bright One : )

Morning sweet peeps and hope you are all OK today xx

it’s time for another visit to Papertake Weekly and today our theme is

Hearts & Flowers

so as long as you include one or both of them in your work, then that’s fine and dandy-oh.

We have a brand new sponsor as well cos the sweetness that is Jill from The Hobby House is giving away a ……

…. to one lucky winner so do nip and have a butchers if you get a sec.

So what did I do then?

I did this bright and bold bad boy!!!

The image is one from the latest Lili of The Valley release and it’s from the Happy Bears set (what’s not to love about these little cuties).

I cannot find my Copics list anywhere I’m ever so sorry but I will update if I come across it.

The papers are from LOTV One Birdie Lane and the sentiment is from the Sentiments to Fit Scroll set.

I used a Sissiz Thinlits Sunflower die to make this bloom – I just wanted something lovely and bright and I do love making paper flowers .

You can just about make out the 16mm Meadow Green/White Berisford No 130 Pencil Stripe Ribbon, and there’s some Mimosa Yellow Vintage Seam Binding at the other end!!!

Both are of course from The Ribbon Girl

I made the heart thingies by winding some green wire together and sandwiching it between 2 punched hearts.

So that’s the old card done for today.

I’m still a bit tired from the weekend but hugest of thanks to everybody who stopped by to say hello and of course I must give a shout out to the lovely people from Tonic Studios. It was lovely to see Jo Austin again (love this girl – she makes me laugh so much) and to finally get to meet up with Jodie Johnson. Thanks also to Mark & Mel (and of course Owen) from Crafty Devils and looking forward to seeing you all again at Farnborough.

Right, on that note, I better go.
Work is calling and I have loads to do as always – you know what it’s like peeps!!

Enjoy the rest of your day and huggiest of hugs to all xx

A Little Frou Frou, Just For You : )

Morning peeps and I hope that you are having a nice week so far.

It’s time to head on over to the Papertake Weekly challenge and this week we have one of our

Take Your Pick

themes.

You can either do a sketch, a technique based challenge,  a colour based challenge or a product based challenge.
Or if you are feeling brave you can combine.!!

I wasn’t so I did this ….

… sketch here, sketch #97.

And for once I stuck to it and here’s …

… what I did.

It’s a sneakie peepkie and the image is called Frou Frou.
She is one of the new release from Lili of The Valley which will be out on 31st, so not too much longer to wait.

The papers are from One Birdie Lane – such lovely Spring colours.
Nice and cheery I think.

The sentiment is from the Sentiments to Fit Scroll set which I truly love – you probably noticed!!

Some nice stuff from The Ribbon Girl in the shape of 16mm Meadow Green/White Berisford No 130 Pencil Stripe Ribbon, a beautimous Diamante Heart Stick Pin and some Pink Dewdrops.

I added a few dots of white liquid pearls as well – you can just about see them here.

 

So there we are, all done for today. I will be back tomorrow with another sneak peek : )

Before I go I just wanted to say that I hope my friends in the US aren't suffering with the awful weather they’re having too much. It looked pretty horrendous on the news last night so stay safe everybody.

And finally, today I am remembering events of 70 years ago and everybody who was affected by it. 

Sending love and best wishes to all xxx