Fairies, Sneak Peeks & More Good News :)

And for once it’s in that order lol xxx

So firstly the fairies. Well fairy to be exact cos it’s what I used for this weeks Lili Of The Valley Thursday challenge.

This week we have one ultra fab sketch which our Bev has done for us.

I just loved working with this one :)

If you get a sec, don’t forget to nip over and check out the gorgeous DT cards (some verry pretty colours used this week) and why not have a go yourself, You don't even need a LOTV image to enter :)

And this is what I did with it.

I used On Tiptoe which you can see here and I coloured he in with me new best friends, the Copics gang, which you can get from Tracy at Dies To Die For. I’ll list the ones I used here (I remembered to write them down before I packed them away) and then I’ll leave you to look at the pics without the usual waffle and do the shopping list at the end :)

C00, C1, C3, E0000, E00, E21, E50, E53, R0000, R00, R20, R32, YG0000, YG06

So that’s the card and this is what I used -

Paper – Nitwits Perfect Pair. Blooms – Wild Orchid Crafts (sprinkled with a bit of diamond Stickles), Martha Stewart Doily Punch – Dies To Die For. Pins and gems from my stash

Ok, now for the sneak peek. This is another one of the new LOTV Annabel images which are due to be released 1st June.

Awww.

And the good news?

So if there are any LOTV images you want, now is the time to get them lovely peeps.

So that’s it for today. Have a fab day and see you tomorrow for another Tilda-tastic challenge - you are going to love this one.

Huggiest of hugs to all xxx

Good News :) Bad News :(

Morning peeps.

No cards today but some wonderful news from Lili Of The Valley. Check this out -

Its a brand new blog that our wonderful Laila, who is LOTV’s Art Director,  has started and it’s a place where you will find all sorts of ideas and tips and tutorials. Right now there is a wonderful tutorial that shows you how to blend with Promarkers and if you are a Copics fan, then there is a link to the website where you’ll find a pdf document with comparison colours for Promarkers so you will be able to match up.  It’s a fabulous tutorial and will help you get the best out of your pens and improve your colouring :)

So nip over if you get a sec and become a follower so you don't miss out on anything.

Oh and there is a little sneak peek for you …..

… isn't she adorable.

These images just get better and better I think and I can’t wait to get me mitts – not to mention me pens - on this one :)

OK now for the bad news, or rather sad news.

Our little chick sadly died last night, poor little chap. He was doing so well that I really did think he was going to make it, but Richard went to feed him about 6pm and he didn’t look too clever at all. And shortly after that he died. He had put up such a fight and we did our best but sometimes it isn't enough.  R is far more pragmatic about these things than I am  but I was really saddened.

Anyhoos there is still another one to look after but he is doing really well and doesn’t seem to have any problems at all.

So on that note I’m off to do a bit of work and put the finishing touches to my LOTV card cos there is another challenge tomorrow so I’ll see you then.

Have a fab day and huggiest of hugs xxxx.

Pink, Quick & A Poorly Little Chick!!

Hi peeps and I hope you are having a fab day!!

Today over at Papertake Weekly we are having a bit of a sparkle fest and our challenge is

Shiny, Sparkly & Special

You can do either or, or even all 3, but no prizes for guessing which one I went for :)

Not that you can tell much from this pic but this cute little Gillian Roberts image has had the Glamour Dust treatment, plus a few gems as well. It’s called Teddy & Me and its available from Tracy at Dies to Die For and you can see it here.

It’s been coloured with Copics (which of course Tracy has as well)  and once again, being a tidy piggy (I am sooo not lol xxx) I put them all away before I wrote the colours down – doh!!!!

Actually it’s more to do with the fact that I am cream crackered – more in a sec.

These pretty papers are  out of this pack ….

They’re Honey & Hugs papers and you can get them from those lovely girlies at Crafts U Love – here’s the link. 

And there’s the old perennial fave courtesy of Martha which you can just about see.  Tracy will sort you out with one if you haven't already got of of these beauties -  she is ever so good like that which is why we love her :)

The bow is satin and is gorgeous, as is the little Wild Orchid Crafts rose. That pink is just so pretty I think.

OK, so that’s me card and now here is the reason why I am cream crackered …..

I do accept that it is a face that only it’s mother could love  - except she didn't so we are rearing him.  And like any other baby,  he has gotten his dinner all around his chops.

He is a baby hawk and I say he, but we don't know for sure yet what he is.  He almost died and he isn't out of the woods yet but he is starting to show signs of improvement so there is hope for him. But he needs feeding little and often so we are taking it in turns and a lovely job it isn't!! 

But I am getting quite fond of the little beggar in a weird sort of way. So in between work and chicks, there isn’t a lot of time for other stuff right now so it’s all a bit mad at the mo. So I better crack on and try and clear the paper mountain from my desk.

Have a fab day and see you soon if not sooner.

Huggiest of hugs xxx

Darlin’ Boy :)

 

Hi peeps and Happy Sunday :)

It’s time for another challenge with the Anyone For Anya girlies and this week it’s all about

Lucky Numbers

All we want to see is a number or numbers somewhere on your card – that’s all there is to it!!!

I haven't used a TGF image for a few weeks but as soon as I saw this lil fella, I knew I had to have a go so I gave him the Copics treatment and here he is. He is Oliver and he’s part of the new Buddies set which Tracy now has in stock over at Dies To Die For, and his partner in crime in the set is Amelia. Our Stacey has used her for this weeks challenge so you can see her inked up and coloured in if you nip over to the AFA blog.

And if you want more details, just click here :)The Copics I used are

E00, E21, E31, E33, E35, E37, E50, E57, G94, G99, R20, YG11, YG23, YG63, YG95, YR00 

The papers are the very delish My Minds Eye Jack & Jill (Favourite Things and Bright Argyle) and you can get them as well as your Copics from the loveliness that is Tracy.

The ‘4’ and ‘U’ are American Thickers and I’ve gone over them with a very pale cream Copic pen but it hasn't showed up well on the pic sadly!!

And  that’s me card done.

Now I am on another flyer today chicksters cos we have 2 baby chicks which have just hatched and their mum isn’t too keen on doing her motherly duties, so we are doing the ‘feeding ever few hours’ routine. I did try and get a pic but it didn't turn out too well and I didn’t want to keep ‘flashing’ at them (puke, bluhhhhh –that would traumatise them for sure lol !!) so I’ll try and get another one and show you. They are soooo sweet, and like the darlin boy in the pic, it is a shame they have to grow up lol xxx

Talking of traumatising, I took Kyla for a couple of jabs on Friday. Oh dear, I had forgotten how horrible it is – for them and us. The poor little thing had to have 2 so she knew what was coming when she saw the second needle. How I am not deaf in one ear I do not know cos she made such a racket, but I can’t blame her cos it must have stung. She did eventually stopped crying (I think sweets may have been mentioned and it seemed to do the trick) and when we got home, she  actually told Richard that the nurse had stabbed her in the arm!!!!

Ohh dear, oh dear!!!

But it’s all done and she is now all set for primary school in September. I cannot believe how quickly the last 4 years have gone really. Jeez, I must be getting old cos I sound like me Gran!!!!

Anyhoos,  have a fab day and I’ll see you soon if not sooner.

Hugs to all xxx

Tilda Plus A Mini Tutorial Re A Sticky Subject :)

Hi peeps and hope everyone is keeping warm. OMG it is SOOOOO cold here at the mo.

More about the sticky subject in a sec.

But firstly, it’s Friday and that means another fab challenge with the Just Magnolia girls and as always there is so much gorgeousness to share. This week, it is a brilliant challenge and I think it’s fair to say that all the girlies enjoyed this one. So our challenge is

It Takes Two

and all you have to do is to include 2 (or more if you want) Magnolia images in your work and as it is also our special monthly challenge, we are sponsored by the very lovely Heidi at Simon Says Stamp, and this ….

.. is what you could win.

So here’s me card.

I used three images and the grass is from an Easter collection but thanks to all the swirly scrolls and stems plus a bit of careful masking, you can hardly see the ‘eggs’ hiding in the grass. And I am all for getting as much use out of the stamps as poss.

See what I mean?

I bet you couldn’t tell until I showed you the image - well at least I hope you couldn't lol xxx

The Three Eggs stamps and pretty little Elf Tilda is available from Crafts U Love – isn't she sweet peeps, awwww!!

And of course they were all coloured with the good old Copics which you can get from Tracy at Dies to Die For in the following colours -

B0000, B00, B12, C00, C1, C3, C7, E0000, E00, E21, E31, E36, E50, E53, R0000, R00, R20, YG0000, YG06,

The pretty blooms were from Wild Orchid Crafts and the pearly wire things (sorry for being so technical lol xx) were from a local warehouse

And of course there’s a touch of Martha’s Doily punch as well and Tracy has these in stock right now.

Now for the sticky solution, and it’s all about this little tube of fabulousness.

It’s Collall photo glue and if any of you have ever seen me demoing (you poor beggars lol xxx) then you will know exactly how I feel about this stuff. It is just wonderful and I would not be without it. I’ve used it for years and have recommended it to so many people who try it and then can’t do without it either.

And Tracy is now stocking it and at a great price as well at £1.75. You can see it here.

So what is so good about it?

Well for a start, it is repositionable and you can use it for so many things eg card, paper, photos, leather & textiles. It will not wrinkle or warp your card and paper and it’s acid free, so fab for scrapbooking and you just need to give it a few hours before you put your finished page back into the album to make sure that it doesn’t react with the plastic and cause it to bubble up.

And if you ever get any onto your carefully coloured image or it seeps out of the sides of the paper you’ve stuck down, well you just rub it away and it vanishes without trace.

I blobbed some onto the image of the card I did – hope you can see it -

then I gave it a quick rub ….

…. and see, not a trace.

It also gives you about 5 minutes of play time before it is stuck, so you can move it about until you are happy that your paper etc is exactly where you want it to be, which is a shed load easier than using DST and LOTS quicker as well. But if you decide once it’s stuck that it isn't quite what you want, then you can just peel it away and start again.

It’s economical as well.

Scuse the poor pic peeps but I wanted the glue to show up so you can see how little of it you actually need. You just scribble it over the back of your DP ….

… and slide it into place.

And if you ever get grease marks on your work cos you dropped a bit of your butty or you accidentally picked up your card with greasy mitts (or maybe that’s just el piggy here!!) , just smear a bit of photo glue over the top and rub it off again and the greasy mark completely disappears!!!!

Phew, sorry about the looooong post but I just had to share with you because it really is awesome stuff. So have a go chicksters and see how you get on and do let me know what you think. There are other brands you can buy but they tend to be a fair bit more expensive and this stuff is just as good (and trust me, I have tried them all!!) .

So you can save your dosho for more stash :)

So I hope that this helps lovelies and have a nice day and I’ll see ya soon, if not sooner.

Hugs to all xxx

It’s Ohhhh So Quiet …..

 

…. as Bjork would say.

In fact it is very VERRRY quiet in our house right now.

That’s cos I have lost my voice and I think R is hoping that I don’t find it again – he probably thinks he’s gone deaf!!!  It was a bit funny at first but now it is getting ever so slightly tedious and I am just longing for a good shout, heeheeee!!

Anyway, I am a bit late with this cos apart from the lack of noise coming from my trap today, there wasn’t much in the way of mojo either and I think it had gone off to look for the voice.  Plus I am still aching and coughing and spluttering so all in all, I am not 100% today!!!

But the show must go on as they say and it’s time for another Papertake Weekly challenge. This week it is one of me sketches and it is ….

…  this little fella.

And this is what I did with it.

I love these Whiff Of Joy gnomes, I really do, and I gave them the Copics treatment, but sadly I put all the pens away before writing down the colours, sorry lovelies!!  I am a dopey trout at the best of times, I will admit,  but when I am not firing on all cylinders it seems to further enhance the dippiness.

So please forgive me peeps but I am just going to run Linford like  through the shopping list today  -

Images is Whiff Of Joy, Mr & Mrs Foxglove

 Copics, Martha Stewart Deep Edger border punch – doily lace trim, Doodlebug pastel buttons, all available from Tracy at Dies To Die For ( I’ve linked each product to the correct place on the website if that helps xxx)

Paper is Wild Rose Studio Spring CD

Sorry to dash today chicksters, but I will hopefully be back to normal (ha, as if!!) very soon but until then, I hope that everyone is OK and if you get a sec, nip over and see what those fabulous PTW girlies have done with the sketch. We have a Guest DT call as well if you fancy it!!

Hugs to all xxx

Li’l Bug Emma’s Pretty In Pink

She is soooo sweet I think. I know I have a soft spot for these CC Designs images but they are just so squidgy and gorgeous.

Anyway, enough mush from me, happy Sunday peeps and I hope everyone is well xxx

Our challenge today over at Anyone For Anya is Lotsa Layers so we want to see some dimension on either the image or the paper or somewhere on your card. I 3D’d the image and I also added a few  layers with the old MSBP (it’s still one of my faves).

The DT have done some beautiful work as always so if you get a sec, nip over and check it all out. We are looking for our next DT  so if you fancy having a go, let us know when you link your card. Don’t  forget that now you can also use CC Designs as well as TGF :)

And this is my card.

I coloured the little sweetie with Copics and I’ll do the colours and shopping bit at the end, but here are the rest of the pics first.

So the Copics I used were C00, C1, C3, C7, E00, E21, E31, E35, E50, E53, R0000, R00, R11, R20.

You can get your mitts on some Copics of your every own from Tracy at Dies To Die For, and also that  awesome Craftwork Cards digi card stock, Lil Bug Emma and the always fabulous MS Doily punch which are now back in stock. And have you seen the new punches? OMG, drool drool is all I can say!!!

The ribbon was from my stash and if anybody wants any of the the pretty diamond pins, please drop me a quick e-mail and I can sort you out with some :)

The paper is Pink Petticoat Gingham and talking of printing your own papers, I have to share this with you cos it’s too good not to.

I had to nip to Staples yesterday for some paper and I usually use their own text and graphics paper because it’s quite good and not too expensive.  Well by the tills they had on offer a new one (or at least I have never seen it in there before) which is Rey Text & Graphics and it will normally retail for just under £8 for 250 sheets A4  (160gsm).  Well there was a BOGOF offer so I thought I’d try it out – nothing ventured etc etc.

OH MY LIFE, I  cannot tell you how good this paper is. 

It is super smooth, brilliant white and has that awesome colour lock technology which will keep your colours true. I am totally converted and am going back shortly to get meself a shed load more while it is on offer. Now peeps, if you are into printing your own DP, give it a try - it’s suitable for both laser and inkjet printers and I think they do it in a lighter weight as well if that is your preference.

So on that note, I am off for another shopping trip. Then we are off to Shropshire to the Falconry Fair.  Typical that the weather is cold today cos now I have to don several jumpers and will look like the Michelin Man as a result. To be fair, I do anyway but I am slooooowly losing the lardage so there are not quite so many rolls and folds now. However after a hog roast or 2, no doubt they will be back. Ohh I just had a thought – that’s practically cannibalistic isn't it (shame on me lol xxx).

Have a fab day and a fab Bank Holiday tomorrow and lets hope the sun comes back.

Hugs to all xxx