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I'm Hoppity Hopping Back :)

Hi there me darlins and hope you are all OK.

I've been AWOL these last few weeks but I haven't been sitting there and idly twiddling me trotters!!
Not on your nelly  I've not. I've been getting the samples ready for next Thursday :)

It's getting very near to the big day now and I'm starting to get the odd butterfly or 12579513258 when I think about it. But at the same time I am hugely looking forward to it and fingers, toes, eyes etc available crossed that it all goes smoothly (please let it go smoothly!!).

Anyway what has tempted me back to the land of Blog and away from the old craft room and what are you doing here Miss Piggy I hear you ask?

Well it's the best reason ever because  today we are holding a Lili of the Valley design team blog hop to celebrate the launch of their gorgeous new Christmas stamps (and I mean GORGEOUS!!)

This is the second set of the 2013 Christmas collection and there are 20 stamps including some of your favourite characters and also a few more traditional designs and there really is something in this collection for just about everybody.

The stamps will be available to buy on the website from midday on Sunday August 25th (UK time).

I’m sure you know what to do by now  -  you  just need to  ‘hop’ from one blog to another following the links and leave a comment on each card, and  hopefully we can give you lots of ideas and inspiration along the way for using the new images

There is a fabulous prize up for grabs on the hop, but as always we don’t know where it is hidden so do make sure you that you visit and comment on every blog

You have a couple of days to join in, we will let you know on Saturday evening which was the ‘lucky’ blog and a winner will be drawn at random from all the comments that were left on that blog

The prize is a full set of the new Christmas stamps...

that’s 20 rubber stamps, one each of all the newest designs

Here's a list of all the blogs taking part, and remember that you will need to visit them all and leave a comment on each one to have the best chance of winning;

Ideas to Inspire
Anne
Becky
Dawny (that'll be me then!!)
Debbie
Dena
Elise
Fleur
Gretha
Jen
Kathy
Kim
Lou
Mary J
Moni

So what did I do then?

.

Well as you can see I have gone all traditional.

There's something about Chrimbly that makes me want to reach for the red, gold and green stuff and this image is perfect for that.

It's called Holly Tree and I wish I had one like this in my garden. I'd show you a pic of our holly tree but you would only laugh and then report me to Alan Titchmarsh - it is a sorry sight and quite frankly there's more leaves in a tea bag.

Anyway I coloured this with Copics and I have to tell you that it is really easy peasy to colour.

I used the following colours -

E30, G99, R05, R17, R27, R59, YG00, YG01, YG23, YG99,

Don't you just love a bit of seasonal tartan :)

The papers are from Laila's Classic Christmas 8x8 paper pad and the bells were in the bottom of my stash - sorry, I cannot for the  life of me remember where I got them from, but the fab red and white saddlestitch ribbon is of course from The Ribbon Girl

The sweet sentiment is from Set 33 - Christmas Grungy Messages - perfect to pop onto your ribbon.

.

.

Please do excuse the black shadow on some of these pics btw - the camera has been at it again, playing silly beggars!! It's probably sulking cos I haven't been near it for ages.

I actually took it out tonight because there was a report on the telly that a dolphin had been seen in the Dee very close to where we live so we went to see if we could spot it, like the saddos that we are.

We couldn't,  but here's a pic courtesy of the good old Beeb....

... and here's the link to the story.

It's quite ironic really because the next stop on our hop is our very own dolphin, it's the oh so talented and ever so lovely Debbie so you need to hop over to her blog next. Don't forget that it you get lost (like this poor little dolphin in the pic, aww), you can always go back to the beginning and pick it up from there.

Don’t forget to stop by the Ideas to Inspire blog on Saturday evening when you can find out who the lucky winner is of that great prize

Enjoy the hop…    and good luck!

And cos I haven't been here for a while, extra big huggiest of hugs to all xxx

What A Sneakie Peekie Lovely Pair :)

 

Hi there possums and hope you are all OK today :)

I'm sharing the card that I did for yesterday's challenge over at Papertake Weekly which is

Die-ing For A Punch

and all we want to see is, well, dies and punches and either / or is fine.

So I thought I'd combine the challenge with another sneakie peekie from the soon to be released Lili of the Valley Christmas images - you will be able to get these tomorrow and we do hope that you enjoyed the blog hop yesterday (there may still be time to enter if you're quick). 

So ...

.. here's my card and I used

Festive Post

I have to apologise again for these pics.
My camera is majorly playing up and I think it's time to bin it - it keeps putting a shadow on the pics that isn't there IRL, grrrr!!!

Anyway I coloured the images in these Copics -

Skin - E000, E00, E11, E13, R00, R02
Hair - E31, E35, E50, E98, E99
The rest - BV000, BV00, BV01, BV02, BV13, C00, C1, C2, C3,  C4, C7, E30, W41, E42, E43, E50, G99, YG00, YG03, YG95

I used papers from 2 of the 8x8 paper pads - Frosty Christmas and Promises. I think the blues and lilacs work really well together, especially for cold and frosty Christmas cards :)

I do quite like using dies etc in ways that are a bit different and this Magnolia fence die is great for bending!! I also got the old ribbler out - it's pretty ancient but it still does the trick. You can't really see the corrugated effect in the main pic cos of the light but it shows up better here.

The sentiment is from the LOTV sentiments to fit scroll set but they look fab on their own as well - I just love that font, and the words are perfect to go with this image :)

 

A pretty double bow made from mauve lilac seam binding and topped off with three silver jingle bells - they are the jingliest jangliest bells ever, and of course both of these are from The Ribbon Girl

You can just about see 2  white holly leaves (it's called artistic licence I think lol) tucked behind the bow and I punched them using one of the best holly punches about - the Super Duper Holly Punch which I got from Janice at Sir Stampalot.

 

So there we are all done and if you want to take part in the blog hop, you can see it all right here.

I hope you've enjoyed the sneak peeks and that you've picked your faves - I still haven't to be honest cos I like them all!!!

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

Happy Christmas Hoppity Hop :)

 

Good morning everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Today we are holding a Lili of the Valley design team blog hop to celebrate the launch of their gorgeous new Christmas stamps

This is the first set in their 2013 Christmas collection and is an adorable mix of 16 cute characters which we think you are going to LOVE!

The stamps will be available to buy on the website from midday on Thursday July 25th (UK time) along with some fabulous new art pads and patterned papers

***

The LOTV design team are all joining in and you may have noticed that there is another new name on the list...

we’re all thrilled to welcome our new teamie, it’s the amazing Kathy!

***

I’m sure you know what to do by now lol  ...just ‘hop’ from one blog to another following the links and leave a comment on each card, hopefully we can give you lots of ideas and inspiration along the way for using the new images

There is a fabulous prize up for grabs on this hop, we don’t know where it is hidden so do make sure you that you visit and comment on every blog

We will let you know tomorrow evening which was the ‘lucky’ blog and a winner will be drawn at random from all the comments that were left on that blog

The prize is a full set of the new Christmas stamps...

that’s 16 rubber stamps, one each of all the new designs

Here's a list of all the blogs taking part, and remember that you will need to visit them all and leave a comment on each one to have the best chance of winning;

Ideas to Inspire
Anne
Becky
Dawny
Debbie
Dena
Elise
Fleur
Gretha
Jen
Kathy
Kim
Lou
Mary J
Mindy
Moni

OK so what did I do then?

Well I used this super sweet image which is called

Window Seat

And ......

 

... I coloured it with these Copics -

Skin - E000, E00, E11, E13, R00, R02
Hair - E35, E59,
The rest - C00, C1, C2, C3,  C4, C7, E30, E31, E35, E39, E41, E42, E43, R02, R05, R17, R27, R59, YG00, YG03, YG95

Phew I THINK that's it!!!

I'm sorry but I found the papers in the bottom of my paper drawers and the front cover had come off but I have a feeling they are Bazzill papers.

A yummy bit of Ribbon Girl-age in the form of a bow made from 25mm small black check ribbon, a Red Small Polka Dot Spotty Button, some Cream Jute Mesh Ribbon and some Medium Red Berries

 

 

So that;s my card done and now it's time to get back to the hop.

Don’t forget to stop by the Ideas to Inspire blog tomorrow evening when you can find out who the lucky winner is of that great prize

Enjoy the hop…    and good luck!

Huggiest of hugs to all and congratulations on our new  Royal Baby :)

Sneaky Peekie Squirrels

 

Hi there possums and a very Happy Sunday to everyone.

Can I just say that I have been completely overwhelmed by all the message of support and good wishes from so many people regarding my good news. I am humbled by it all, I truly am. Thank you all so much - it means a lot to me that so many of you took the trouble to email, or send me a message via my blog and FB page so hugest of thanks from the bottom of my heart :) xxxx

I have a little sneakie peekie for you today which features one of the brand new Lili of the Valley Christmas Images which are  due for release next week. Aren't they sweet :)

The image I've used is called

Squirrel Snack

And I can't decide if she is actually my fave from this release!!!

So ....

... here's the card, and ....

 

 

... here's the image .

I coloured it using Copics and these are the colours I used -

Skin - E000, E00, E11, E13, R00, R02
Hair - E321, E35, E59, E50
Squirrels - E07, E08, E50, E97, E99
The rest - C00, C01, C02, E30, E31, E35, E39, G99, R02, R05, R17, R27, R59, YG00, YG03, YG95

Aren't those cheeky squirrels cute!!!

But sorry about covering the poor kid in glitter - her hair is full of it (note to self - BRUSH the card before you photograph it, you dope!!)

The papers I  used are from the Classic Christmas 8x8 paper pad which have been designed by Laila and these are just what they say they are - all very traditional but with a modern twist.

 

In the paper pack there's a sheet of green paper and I used this to create the 'pine branches' which I made using a Martha Stewart punch. The pine cones were made using a sheet of brown paper from the Krafty Christmas paper pad. They are ever so easy to do and are made using a scalloped rose die. Now I cannot and will not take the credit for these because I saw them on the fabulous blog that  belongs to Kitty. I adore her work and the way she uses dies just blows me away. Anyway there are some really nice tutorials on there and you will find the one for these pinecones right here.

I think they are awesome and I will be doing this technique again without a shadow of a doubt!!!

Some beautimous goodies from The Ribbon Girl - 25mm Red No 15 Small Check Ribbon, a Dark Green Small Polka Dot Spotty Button, a double bow made from the Card of Brown Earth Mix Hemp Twine and all topped off with a 5mm Red Crystal

The sentiment is from Set 18 - Greetings Postmarks

 

So there we are all done and I  will be back tomoz with another sneakie peekie - I am a bit late with them this time so I am trying to catch up. But my teamies have been on the case and haven't they made some crackers!!!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and indeed the weekend and I'll see you back here in the morning.

Huggiest of hugs to all xxx

Super Smashing Great News - Woohooo At Last I Can Share :))))))

At last I can share my news - wooohooooo.

I have been sitting on my hands and had the super sticky red plastic backed DST firmly over the chops but I can now reveal ....... that I'm going on the telly :)))))) Lili of The Valley will be returning to Create & Craft and Lisa and Laila very kindly asked me if I wanted to do this side of it for them so that they can concentrate on running the business. Well I thought about it for maybe a nanosecond (it may have been slightly shorter than that) and I said OOOOHHH YES PLEASE!!!! That was quite a while ago (before Christmas really) and it’s been no mean feat for me to keep this info to myself for this long. But the girls took the tape off the old mush this morning and I can now share.

So on Tuesday this week we headed to sunny Peterborough (it was extremely sunny) and did the screen test. And C&C were happy enough with me so I got the green light - phew!!!. As much as I was nervous, and my tweezers were shaking (or was that my hands??) I got through it. And I got through it despite not being able to find one of the components on the card I was demoing even though I had double quadruple checked everything I put out for the demo (it was actually stuck to one of the die cut circles, grrrr). And despite the fact that they would not let Lisa and Laila into the screen test studio with me. I so wanted them to be there for a) moral support and b) because we have practised it and they put a lot of work into this for me. And despite having a spray tan which turned my very blonde eyebrows quite orange (I kid you not and it took lots of brown pencil to cover them up). And despite sweating so much that the poor sound man must have had a ball (not) attaching the sound pack to the back of my trousers (poor soul). He must have thought I was so attractive, me and my sweat drenched back, and how he must be looking forward to me going there again. If he’s off that day I will know why!!!

We are waiting for the actual date and then it’s off for the live show (that DOES actually sound very scary – don’t think about it Dawny!!). But it is very exciting all the same and I cannot wait. Kyla is beside herself with excitement, bless her. I pity her poor teacher at school today, I really do. I have a little lump in my throat though cos I am so sad that my lovely Mum and Aunty are not here to share this – they would have loved it, especially my Mum. Maybe she will be watching, who knows (they may be able to get C&C up there!!!).

So watch this space and we will give you more news as the ‘i’s and ‘t’s are dotted and crossed.

Hugest of thanks to everybody who has emailed and left messages for me including my wonderful LOTV teamies. And of course massive thanks to Lisa & Laila for giving me such a wonderful opportunity – thank you so much my hunnies xxx

Right it’s back to work for me.
Take care and huggiest of very excited hugs to all xxx

PS I will be back with me PTW card later  - such a slacker lol!!!

Nauti(cal) but Nice :)

Hello possums and hope you are all OK today - phew it's another scorcher!!!

It's that time of the week when we catch up with our friends in the US of A over at the Simon Says Stamp challenge  but vefore moving onto the new theme we have an announcement to make ,,,,

We've Moved ...

and here is our fab new logo ...

Please update your bookmarks with our new address
 http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/
and change the logo and link on your sidebar, if you have it on there :)

So our theme for this week's challenge  is

By The Sea

and this week the DT are showcasing Fancy Pants Products
You don't have to use them of course, but if you have them we would love to see them  :-)

And as always, our lovely Heidi is giving away a fabulous …

… for one lucky winner to spend …

… right here :)

THANK YOU Heidi & Simon Says Stamp xxx

So what did I do then?

I used Fancy Pants Down by The Shore 6" paper pad - perfect for this challenge.

And I just HAD to use one of my new Magnolia stamps  ...

... and I coloured her with these Copics -

Skin – E000, E00, E11, E13, R00, R02
Hair – E31, E35, E39, E50
The rest – B0000, B000, B00, B12, B93, B95, B97, C00, C1, C3, C4, R02, R05, R17, R27. R59

I stuck it down onto a pretty circle  which was die cut using a Spellbinders BEADED CIRCLES Nestabilities and then did a bit of stitching around the image which quite  frankly scared me as it took me a while to colour he in and I was a tad nervous that I would go a bit wonky!!!

What a scaredy cat!!!!

BTW, if you get a sec do nip over and check out the DTY cardage because they are STUNNING. Not that they aren't always but this week I thought they were amazing :)

I used 2 border dies here -  a Spellbinders A2 CURVED BORDERS 1 One Borderabilities Card Creator Die and a Spellbinders CLASSIC SCALLOP Edgeabilities Die.

You can probably tell but I LOVE these dies :)

I decided that I'd layer up 4 sets of Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember™ RIBBON BANNER Craft Die S118. I stuck the navy, red and white ones together with glue, just offsetting them slightly ....

... , and then added the pale blue one using foam pads.

 

So that's me all done for today.

I will be back tomorrow with my Papertake card and apols for being late but time just ran away with me yesterday.

Have the best day and huggiest of hugs to all xxx