My Top 5 Creations of 2013

Well, this year I started a blog! And 188 posts later - this is my top 5 creations from 2013! Enjoy!

Number 5 - Let it Snow 

Number 4 - Simply Betty Stamps

Number 3 - Gorjuss Wall Hanging, Tag and Card set

Number 2 - Dilly Beans Black & White Challenge Card

(I was the winner that week!)

Number 1 - Bohemian Decorated Ribbon Box

Thanks for being with me in my first year of bloggin! I'm thinking an anniversary event in Febuary!? Stay tuned!

Thanks for looking! 

Mo xxx

Simply Betty Fanpage Challenge

Just popping in for probably my last post of 2013 with a quick Christmas card for the Simply Betty Fanpage Challenge. The image is the 'Betty Boom' and the brief was to use Red, White and Black and Glitter!

I coloured the image with promarkers and used the My Minds Eye Christmas 6x6 paper pad. The papers are matted onto white card and black pearlescent papers. I have added Stardust Stickles to the flower in her hair, the dynamite, the ribbon and the outer dots on the polkadot background. I thought it needed more so glittered up her eyeshadow and the snowflakes! The sentiment to finish is from Craftwork Cards.

Thanks for looking!
Mo xxx

All Wrapped Up in this cold weather!

Just a quick reminder post from me today - we have a double challenge going on at Crafting by Designs with two weeks, two themes and two sponsors! I have made a card today for the current challenge at Dilly Beans and have encorporated the first Crafting by Designs challenge theme into the card!

The theme at Dilly Beans is Christmas/Winter and the first theme at Crafting by Designs is 'All Wrapped Up'. I have used the 'Holly Penguin Framed' image and coloured it with Promarkers - he's all warm and wrapped up in his hat and scarf against the elements! I have layered the card using dark green pearlescent paper and BoBunny Silver and Gold Collection designer Christmas papers. I have added a Craftwork Cards sentiment and card Candi and finished the card with corrugated Christmas trees from my stash.

I will be entering my card into the following challenges too -
Dilly Beans - Christmas or Winter
CraftyHands Challenge Blog - Seasons Greetings/Winter
Digi Haven - Christmas Colours Red & Green
Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything Goes

Stampin' For The Weekend - Anything Goes

I hope you like the card, thanks for stopping by today!
Mo xxx

Happy New Year at the Crafters Cafe Challenge Blog

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day! Now to get cooking for Boxing Day - lots of visitors expected! But here's to the next thing - Happy New Year is the theme at the Crafters Cafe Challenge Blog this week if you have time to join us during this busy period. We are sponsored by Limited Runs and I just love their cupcake digis - lots to choose from - and I have used the Star Cupcake for my simple card today.

Sadly this will be my last post for the Crafters Cafe for a while. With lots of commitments I have had to let a couple of things go and unfortunately I will be taking a break from this DT for the time being.

I have used a 3d star embossing folder on some Green Core'dinations which I sanded using my emery board! This was mounted onto orange pearlescent paper and onto a white 6x6 card blank which I've embossed down the side with Christmas lights! The sentiment I printed from Word and edged with Dusty Concord distress ink. The image is coloured with Promarkers and Stickles in Orange and Lavender. Some gold star brads finish the card.

Thanks for looking, hope you are all enjoying the festivities!
Mo xxx

Christmas Challenge Time at Left of Center - and some news!

It is with mixed feelings that I am here this morning! I have been on the DT for Left of Center for a few months now and due to some personal circumstances our DT co-ordinator, Lorraine, has had to step down and hand over to someone else.... That someone is Me!! I am so excited to be able to gain experience running a challenge blog but hate to see Lorraine having to bow out for the time being. I just hope I can do it justice and thank you to Lorraine for having faith in me!!

So it is time for a new challenge there this morning, Challenge #21 and the theme is Christmas!
We have a fabulous sponsor in the shape of Sassy Studio Designs and I had the pleasure of using the Elvira Sassy image... yes for a Christmas card!!

I've coloured her with promarkers - I'm getting used to the fine nibs, wish I'd had these before now! I have layered her up with purple and black pearlescent papers and designer papers from Bo Bunny's Fright Delight Halloween type pad! I've finished the card with some white flourishes and snowflakes using dies from Robert Addams and Die-Namics. Some Paprika and Platinum stickles give it a bit of sparkle and the sentiment is handwritten!

I hope you will join us at Left of Center for my first challenge as co-ordinator! We have a new linky tool too so you can see the other entries when you join!

We also have a DT Call open till December 27th and would love to hear from you if you are interested in joining our team and working with a great group of crafters and some fantastic sponsors! You can find the DT Call here! 

Thanks for looking!
Mo xxx

New Challenge at Crafting By Designs

Only a week to go!!! It's time for our final challenge of the year at Crafting by Designs! This will be a fortnight long challenge encompassing two themes - 'Wrap it Up' and 'Anything New'.
My card today is for the 'Wrap it Up' theme and uses 'Present Bear' from our sponsor Bugaboo Stamps.

I have coloured him with Promarkers and mounted onto some old design Craftwork Cards Christmas papers. I've finished the card with candi, a sentiment and some red organza.

I hope you will have the time to join us for our last challenge of the year at Crafting by Designs!
thanks for looking!
Mo xxx

Cheer Up Goth - it's Christmas! :p

Another day closer!! Here's hoping I'm ready - more wrapping done last night and still more to do... plenty time though! hahaha
Anyway, the card I am sharing today uses an image from Ike's Art called 'Vaguely Goth' - if you're a regular here you'll know I've used her before - but today this is for my first entry in Ike's new challenge blog! I say new challenge blog, this is her 7th challenge and I feel really rubbish for not having entered before now, better late than never though!
The theme is 'Christmas is coming' and you have to use an Ike's image to be in with a chance at a prize. I have based my card around an Irn Bru advert! For those of you non-Scots reading, Irn Bru is a very orange coloured fizzy caffienated soft drink and the company is famed for its tongue in cheek advertising - here is the very advert -

So I had the slogan in my head 'Cheer up Goth, it's Christmas!' And this is what happened!

I used lots of black and purple pearlescent paper, I cut frames, flourishes and snowflakes, layered everything up with the Vaguely Goth image coloured with Promarkers. I printed the sentiment off the computer and popped in on 3D foam. The edges of the white card are inked with Dusty Concord and Black Soot Distress ink using a blending tool.

Now to find a sullen Goth type to give it to! hahaha

I do hope that all of you reading this take it in the context that its meant - a bit of fun and laughter, not at all meant to offend! I was that sullen Goth teen and she's still in here somewhere! Bah humbug!

Mo xxx

Anything Goes at Love to Create

Wow, how time is flying! Only 9 sleeps left! Crikey! Time for a new Challenge!

It's Anything Goes at Love to Create this week and we are sponsored by Doctor Digi's House of Stamps. I have used the 'X-Files Christmas' image and made a card using some Bo Bunny Christmas papers, some di cut panels, snowflake confetti and a metal 'Joy' brad from Hot Off the Press. The image is coloured with promarkers and some glitter on the white furry hat bits.

I hope you will join our Anything Goes challenge this week, hope to see you at Love to Create.
Mo xxx

Midway reminder for PunkyouGirl Dark Christmas Challenge

We are enjoying a Black Christmas at PunkyouGirl this month and I have a little card for the midway reminder today. This month we are sponsored by Delicious Doodles with a chance to win some of Teri's awesome images for yourself!

This is a wee extra post from me this month and I didn't have time to colour a new Delicious Doodles image so I have used the Sandy Claws image from Rick St Dennis which you can find on his Zibbet store and I have made my own sentiment on Word. I took for my inspiration a Christmas song that used to terrify me as a child and I think this card sums it up! Whenever I would here the song 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' it always made me cry and I reckon is was those lyrics... 'He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake' - like he's always there, just round the corner, waiting!

I have used paper from My Minds Eye Vintage Christmas 6x6 paper pad and added some red ribbon and clear gems in the corners for some seasonal bling. There's Glossy Accents on his eyes and the layers have been torn and further distressed using Old Paper distress ink.

I hope I haven't freaked you out too much with this one! Merry Creepmas! I hope you'll join us at PunkyouGirl, there's still time to get your darker Christmas creations entered!
Mo xxx

Hairy Legs!!!

Nope, not me! But that's this week's challenge over at Delicious Doodles and the team there have got some fab inspiration using various hairy animals! So I thought i'd join in with one of the Delicious Doodles images - Scottie Dog in a Gift Box. My best friend's parent breed Scotties and asked me to make a Scottie themed Christmas card for them to give to a couple who have three of their Scotties.

I've coloured the image using promarkers and some stickles on there for Seasonal sparkle. I've used red and green pearlescent papers, red card and a spotty paper from Hot Off the Press. The sentiment reads 'For Carol & Derek and Brea, Brodie & Bronte', these are the names of the couple and the three dogs. This was simply printed onto the red card using Word. I've finished this with a red organza ribbon and some regal red candi.

Thanks for looking! Hope you like it!
Mo xxx

Smeared and Smudged December Member Blog Hop!

Hi! I am so glad to be doing this post today! I had hoped last month that I would be joining the Smeared and Smudged 12 Days of Creepmas blog hop but some problems at the start of the month including major tooth ache and multiple dentist visits meant that unfortunately I had to pull out. What joy when I saw that there was a member blog hop this month and I figured if I couldn't hop the whole month, I could at least join this one and use one of the several images I aquired for Creepmas!

The theme for this hop is Anything Goes and I'm sure if you pop back to the beginning of the list below and have a look you will see lots of different projects and creations to give you lots of inspiration! I will be hopping round the links later today for a look too! There was no prerequisite to use a Smeared Ink image, however, I got the 'Gonna Get You Snowman' digi and just had to colour it up and pop it on something. I have made a wall hanging and just as I write this my daughter is looking at it and asked 'is that for Christmas or Halloween?' So I can only assume I've got this Creepmas thing right! hahaha

I used papers from DoCrafts Gorjus range, Kaisercraft 13th Hour pad and Pebbles Thirty One pad. I added some stamps to the background from the My Minds Eye Happy Haunting set, some Onyx liquid pearls, black organza and some bling from my stash. The image is coloured with Promarkers with some Star Dust Stickles for seasonal sparkle!

I hope you like this, why not jump back to the start and check out the rest of the hop, or if you have come here from Shoni, the next stop is Rocio. Here is the full line-up incase you get lost!

Black Dragon
Lyneen
Kay
Julia
Laura
Evil Edna
Shoni
Maureen
Rocio
Kapree
Fiona
Susan

I will be entering my hanging in the Smudgy Antics Anything Goes with a Smeared Ink stamp challenge for this fortnight too.
Thanks for looking!
Mo xxx

White on White at Crafting by Designs

This week at Crafting by Designs we are sponsored by the lovely Sassy Studio Designs and our theme is White on White! I know - very similar to my post on Monday for Love to Create!
So this time I've used the Santa Pin up and ots of flower and swirl dies and some white card embossed with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. My image is coloured with Promarkers and star dust stickles on the white bits of the santa suit! The sentiment is a section from a border embossing folder that came free with a recent magazine.

I'm thinking this is better than my effort on Monday and hoping that my colouring is getting better too - waiting on the postman bringing me more Promarkers so I can expand my colour palatte!
Thanks for looking!
Hope you'll join the challenge!
Mo xxx

Monochrome at The Crafters Cafe Challenge Blog

It's Wednesday again and time for a new challenge at the Crafters Cafe Challenge Blog. This week the theme is Monochrome and we are sponsored by Fred She Said digi stamps. I have used their Ice Skating Elf stamp and gone with my favourite lilac and purples for my 'monochrome' colourway!

She is coloured with Promarkers and Star Dust stickles. The papers are from Echo Park and Hot off the Press and the sentiment and candi are from Craftwork Cards. A double seambinding bow finish the card.
 

I hope you will join us for this week's challenge, come on over and play!
Thanks for looking!
Mo xxx

Non-Traditional Christmas Colours at Dilly Beans!

Quick post from me today to enter into this week's Dilly Beans challenge! The theme is non-traditional Christmas Colours... so I went with non-traditional colours and a non-Christmas image too!

I have used the Skull Squares set and made a 6x6 card in Black and Purple tones. I found some fabulous purple Christmas paper and used that as the basis for the card and the colouring. I've used my promarkers and added Stickles in Black and lavender. Everything is mounted on black and purple pearlescent paper and finished with a black organza bow and card candi

Thanks for looking!
Mo xxx

Love to Create with Sassy Studio Designs

Wow, December is going so quickly and today is my birthday! Another year older, and far more tired than I've been in a long time! Anyway, time for a new challenge at Love to Create - and this was definitely a challenge for me! White on White with a Splash of Green is brief and the Sassy Snowman Pinup was my image - this week's sponsor is the fabulous Sassy Studio Designs.

I've coloured her with promarkers, keeping her outfit white by highlighting the shadows with a bit of grey and adding lots of Star Dust Stickles. I've mounted her on green pearlescent paper and some white embossed card along with a strip of white embossed sentiments along the bottom - I've highlighted the 'Christmas Wishes' just using a green ink pad and my finer tip, not the neatest but I quite like it. I've finished the card with some of last years limited edition Snowflake patterned candi and a white organza bow.

Thanks for looking! I hope you'll find the time to join us this week for a chance to win a prize from our sponsor.
Mo xxx

Winter at Left of Centre

This week at Left of Centre we are sponsored by the Fabulous Dilly Beans! I love their images and you will have seen me use them on here before. This time I have used the Snowmen Framed image and made a layered Christmas card using dp from the My Mind's Eye Christmas 6x6" paper pad. I've layered everything up with white card on a white 6x6 card base and finished the image with some Gold and Star Dust Stickles and a Craftwork Cards Sentiment.

I hope you will join us in our Winter Themed Challenge. Also, we have a Design Team call going on just now too!!! So come on over to Left of Centre and have look, see if you fit our criteria or join in our challenge this week!
Thanks for looking!
Mo xxx

Dark Christmas at PunkyouGirl

Well, that's us a week into December and it's time for a new PunkyouGirl Dark Christmas themed challenge!

Now, PunkyouGirl is a 'Dark Themed' Challenge blog - think Goth, Emo, Horror, Fantasy, Steampunk, Grungy, Vampires etc - this is not an 'either/or' challenge - your entry must be dark themed AND fall in line with the additional monthly theme. So many participants last month didn't qualify for a prize and I hate to leave negativity when people have made an effort to enter the challenges!

So, anyway, this month is about Christmas - Black instead of White! - or perhaps Creepmas if you'd prefer! We have Delicious Doodles sponsoring us this month and they have released some amazing creepy Christmas themed images in the last few weeks but today I am using a 'classic'! Emo Christmas is my image and I have kept her dark and gothic looking with lots of black - lace, ribbon, pins and rolled roses. The papers I have used are from DoCrafts Gorjuss range - lots of dark reds, greens, blues and Gorjuss damask and lined patterns - I have used the burgandies with black pearlescent paper to mat.

It actually looks really bright in that sunlight but I promise its a darker card than it looks!
I hope you will join us this month and show us your dark Christmassy creations!

I will be entering this card into this week's Delicious Doodles Christmas Challenge! And the following challenges too -

Ladybug Crafts - Christmas/winter
Crafty Hazelnut Christmas Extra - Anything goes
2 Creative Chicks - Christmas/winter
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything goes
Scrap-Creations - Holiday
Ribbon Carousel - Anything goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Inklings and Yarn - Inky Linky Party
Divas by Design - Feeling festive
Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes
Papercrafting Journey - It's Christmas time
CRAFT Challenge - Christmas

Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything goes
Stampin' for the Week-end - Use some red
Digi Haven - Christmas cards
Card Making Mamas - Christmas/New Year
Mo xxx

Penguin Challenge at Crafting By Designs!

Please forgive the lateness of this post... evidently I forgot about it! So here goes a super quick one from me!
This week at Crafting by Designs we are sponsored by Delicious Doodles and the theme is Penguins! I have made a card using the Penguin with Gifts image coloured with Promarkers and some stickles for glittered effect on the parcels!

The papers I believe are old ones from Hot Off the Press and I've layered with some green paper and a white swirl die by Die-Namics. The card is finished with some polka dot ribbon and a Craftwork Cards sentiment - I'm on a mission to use them all up!!!

I hope to see your entries this week, hope you can join us!
Thanks for looking!
Mo xxx

Challenge #94 at Love to Create - 3D Creation!

Happy First Monday in December folks! Officially Christmas Countdown mode and today we have a new Challenge at Love to Create! We would like you to make a Holiday Gift or 3D Christmas creation. I think I might have cheated a bit with this one... I have decorated a Gift Bag! We are sponsored by QKR Stampede this week and I have used the Santa in the Chimney image for my bag.

I have used Helen Jones' Deck the Halls papers along with an embossing folder that was a magazine freebie! I have coloured the image with promarkers and added stickles and some red curling ribbon around the handle of the bag. There's also some candi on there to finish.

I hope you can join our challenge this week, why not pop over to the blog and see what the rest of the team have created!

Thanks for looking!
Mo xxx

Christmas Prize Challenge at Just For Fun!

Wow!!! It's December already! Still cant quite believe how quickly the year has gone! And to celebrate the season, lots of Christmas challenges this month, starting today with Just For Fun Challenge Blog.

My project today is a Poinsettia Wreath using products from Craftwork Cards. I have layered up the die cut flowers and holly leaves, added stickles in green, red and platinum and used my hot glue gun to adhere the flowers to the wreath circle. Some red organza ribbons is tied at the top for hanging the wreath perhaps on a wall or the mantle or even a tree. I finished with a coating of Spray and Sparkle.

I have made two wreaths so both are slightly different.

 Here's a close up of the first wreath so you can hopefully see the depth of the flower layers.

And the second wreath with a close up.

 

Thanks for looking! I hope you will pop by and show us your Christmas makes!
Mo xxx

A Christmas Card for Craft Mojo's Christmas Challenge!

Happy December!! Well, most posts from this point on with have a certain theme! It's December and that means Christmas for many and that is our theme for the newest challenge at Craft Mojo!

I have made a fancy fold card using the Christmas Post collection of papers and die cuts from Craftwork Cards. I cut the front of two 6x6 card bases and attached them together, then covered each panel with red lightweight card. I cut panels slightly smaller from the papers to fit the card leaving a red border on each panel.

The die cut poinsettia is layered up and a couple of leaves added along with platinum stickles and a gold candi pop in the centre. I layered the sentiment on more of the red card and added platinum liquid pearls for accent here.

I made a band for around the card using the same red card covered with some of the stamp themed paper and attached a red organza bow.

Glossy accents have been used on the robin to give it a sheen. And I used the Spellbinders Fleur de Lis square to cut a panel for the inside, also matted onto the red card. I may add another sentiment here when I decide who this is for or just use that space for my hand written message.

I hope you like the card, thanks for looking and I hope to see you at our Anything Goes challenge at Craft Mojo this month!
Mo xxx

Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog #39 Anything Goes!

Wow, the year is nearly over, can you believe it!? Well, time for another challenge over at The Crafters Cafe Challenge Blog and this time its one of your favourites - Anything Goes!

Given that we're about to get into December I thought I'd go with a Christmas Card. This week's sponsor is Eureka Stamps and I had a fabulous holly square to play with and I've kept it very traditional. Lots of red and green, some swirly embossing and a sentiment from Craftwork Cards. I have coloured the image with Promarkers in various reds and greens and added a green satin ribbon and bow to finish.

I hope to see you all over at the Crafters Cafe and look forward to seeing what you have made!
Mo xxx

Christmas Challenge at Crafting By Designs

Oh my it's almost December and that of course means closer to Christmas! And time for a new challenge at Crafting By Designs and this week we want to see your Christmas creations. We are being sponsored by Inky Impressions and I have made another Christmas Card with the gorgeous Nikki's Winter Wishes image that I used on a card a few days ago!

This time I have gone with traditional Red, Green and Gold and have made a 8x8" card rather than my usual 6x6" smaller square. As per usual the image is coloured with Promarkers and by coincidence I have also used Craftwork Cards papers on this one too! There are even some of my favourite paper flowers, candi and stickles! Scroll down for Monday's Love to Create post with a similar card in purple and lilac!

I hope that you like this version of the card, I love the Christmassy colours to this one, just shows that an image can be as versatile as you like - I think the lilac would make a lovely birthday card too!

Mo xxx

Challenge #93 at Love to Create - 3 Fav Embellies!

Time for a new challenge at the Love To Create Challenge Blog and this week we want to see your 3 favourite embellishments on your creation! We have the fabulous Inky Impressions as a sponsor this week and you could win some digis from there store so why not join us and have a go!

I have used the Nikki's Winter Wishes image and a very non Christmassy colour scheme! I've used purple and lilacs and coloured the image with promarkers to match the Craftwork Cards Bohemian papers.

My 3 favourite embellishments are - paper flowers, Card Candi and Stickles!

Hope you like! Thanks for looking and I hope you can join us for the challenge!

I will enter this into this week's Inky Impressions Challenge which is Hats, Scarves and Gloves - no hat on Nikki, but she's definitely chilly looking with her scarve and mittens!

Mo xxx

'No People' Challenge at Left of Centre

Time for a new challenge for this fortnight at Left of Centre and this could be tricky - 'No People'! We are sponsored by Meljen's Designs and I've been using the Pretty Poinsettia from their store so I went for a Christmas theme this time!

I've coloured the image using promarkers in various red and green shades and added Platinum stickles to the centre. The background card is embossed using a Sizzix folder and coloured with 'Evergreen Bough' and 'Fired Brick' distress inks applied with an ink blending tool. A bow and Craftwork Cards sentiment finish the card.

This is a very 'non' Left of Centre creation - but you know the rules, you can join us using the 'No people' theme or show us your best 'LOC' creations.... or both!
Hope you can join us for this one,
Mo xxx

Vintage/Shabby Birthday Challenge at Crafting by Designs

Oh dear, it's getting colder by the minute! Anyway, here's some birthday cheer!
This week the Crafting by Designs Challenge is sponsored by Lunagirl who have some gorgeous digital ephemera and art images for use in your crafting. I have used a vintage birthday card image to create a shabby tag!

I have used the Craftwork Cards Vintage Boho papers and a Vintage Chic paper bow. I've distressed the paper edges using the Tim Holtz distressing tool and added 'Old Paper' distress ink to the edges of the papers and bow. The tag is finished with a bit of lace and some Star Dust stickles.

I hope you will join us this week for the birthday challenge - a wee change from all the Christmas festivities this week! Check out the rules, a slight change in that you can now enter only 5 unique projects to the challenge. Hope to see you there!
Mo xxx

Christmas Fayre!!!

Well, for those of you who dont really know me here, as well as being a bit crafty and having this blog and doing stuff for some design teams, I'm also a mother of 4 and Secretary of my daughter's school's PTA! And we're having a Fayre! So as well as trailing around the town and putting up masses of posters and hopefully ensuring a great event with many people through the door, we want to raise as much money as possible for the school... but at the same time, I have booked a table and need lots of people to come through the door and buy from ME! lol

I thought I would share some of my work with you and let you see what I'll have on the day - a taster anyway! This may be pretty picture heavy, but hey, who doesn't love the pictures!

I should point out that all the items in this post have been created using various Craftwork Cards kits. The Christmas themed items are using the Christmas Post kit and there are a few candles using the Time Flies and Tea Dance papers and some with foiled papers from a previous Goody Box.

First up are some hand decorated Candles!  I've used papers, organza ribbon and Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Tattered Florals Bigz Die!

 The cellophane on the candles is actually bags for C5 cards tied at the top with ribbons.

 The butterflies on the next one are die cuts that came with the Time Flies kit.

The next two photos show some 6x6" cards using the Christmas Post kit and the Christmas Paper Bows pad.

 The 'JOY' letters are chipboard from another Craftwork Cards Christmas Kit.

Next up are some gift bags also using the Christmas Post collection.

 Here's a close up of one of the bags.

I decided that it would be nice to have matching tags! Just have to add some twine to these, i'm thinking just a natural twine rather than ribbons, keeping with the Kraft/natural theme.

And finally I have also made some 6x6" Wall Hangings. Here's a photo of one and I have a few more sitting waiting to be finished - using up the scraps that are left from the kit!!

I have managed to use all the papers, most of the sentiments and the die cut poinsettias from the kit and when the last couple of hangings are done, there will be nothing left!

Well, like I said, lots of photos today! Better get back to it and get some more things made. I'll be back tomorrow with a post for Crafting By Designs and I'm sure I'll have more crafty bits to show you later!

Thanks for looking!
Mo xxx