A Bit of "Zing" !!!

Good morning and welcome to a new Colour Create Challenge.

I hope you all had a good Christmas with lots of yummy pressies, things to eat and drink. I was obviously a very good girl throughout the year as Santa treated me very nicely indeed ! We had a lovely quiet time and have been enjoying playing all the new games the girls received from Santa. I can't believe it is all over all ready !

Tonight will be an equally quiet occasion for us but spent just how we like it.

Well, this fortnight at Colour Create we wanted to put a bit of "zing" into your lives after all that red, green, gold, silver etc. and the lovely Sharon chose Lemon and Lime with the optional extra of spring or summer flowers.

The DP's are the new BasicGrey "Origins" and they are just gorgeous, BasicGrey have really excelled themselves on the new papers that have just come out, I loves em !

The image is by Diane Duda "Upside Down". I just love this stamp, it is so fun. I don't usually make New Year Resolutions but I think this year I might try to dig deep in my stamp drawer and dig out all those stamps that have been neglected and used once or even worse, never used ! She has of course been coloured with ProMarkers.

The ribbon and flowers are from my stash.

The sentiment is by Hero Arts and has been stamped in Memento Cantaloupe ink.

You must hop over to the Colour Create blog and look at my fellow DT's cards, they are amazing and so bright and colourful. Just what we need on a dull morning like this morning.

Well, this will be my last post of 2009 so I wish you all a very happy New Year and I'm looking forward to a very crafting 2010 with the wonderful friends I have met through blogging. I shall be desperately saving my pennies so I can go to the NEC and Ally Pally and hope to meet some more of you there - two fabulous days out.

Thank you for your visit and for any comments you may leave me. As always, they mean so much.

With much love and hugs to you all,

Simon Says Challenge

Brrrr it's a cold one here this morning -7 when I got up at 6.30am and thats cold for this part of the Country. We did have a sprinkling of snow which was fantastic to see but I think the rain this afternoon will wash it away :o(

Anyway, enough of my Michael Fish impressions (remember him ?!!)......

Wow, what an amazing response we had to last week's "Merry Christmas" challenge at Simon Says Challenge ! Well over 200 entries !!

We have some sad news that Anna has decided to leave us. We shall miss you heaps Anna but keep up your fantastic creations !

This week we are in the "party" mood so we want to see your party creations !

Our Designer in the Spotlight this week is Georgina who is only 9 years old ! Please check out her handy work and leave her a comment.

The prize this week is ............... a surprise ! This gift will be opened on Christmas Day so you will have to wait to see what Santa brings !!!

Due to a severe lack of time this week I had to make a very quick card but I think these cutie mice say it all "they are off to a party" !!

The DP's are DCWV "Sweet".

We are now taking a week off and putting our feet up (huh, as if !!!) and so we will be back with our next challenge on 6th January so that also means you have 2 weeks to get your entry in and win the surprise.

Please hop over to the rest of the DT's blogs and leave them a nice Christmassy message and also see if you can find some hidden candy - its out there just waiting to be found !

From myself and the rest of the Simon Says Challenge team and indeed, the whole of Simon Says Stamp, we wish you a very happy Christmas and a very healthy, prosperous and crafty New Year !

Simon Says Challenge - Merry Christmas

My gorgeous little girl wanted to make a couple of Christmas cards for her teachers at school and what a fabulous job she made of them too. She didn't have any help at all. I suggested she enter them for this week's challenge over at Simon Says Challenge - I'm keeping my fingers crossed she wins - she will be sooo excited if she does !

It's just started snowing here, I wonder how long it will last ? I can't wait to see the girls' faces in the morning when they look out the window even if it is just a dusting !

Thank's for your visit and I hope the Christmas preps are going well ?

Hugs,

Colour Create Challenge

Good morning and what a chilly one it is too ! No snow for us and I don't think we will get any either :o( It's unusual for us to get any of the white stuff in this part of the Country so had to make the most of it last year.

This week at Colour Create we have some lovely warm colours to toast your fingers and hearts. The colour combo for this fortnight is burgundy, pink and ivory - such lovely, scrummy colours. The optional extra is roses.

The DP's are DCWV "Sweet".

The image is one of the Kraftin Kimmie stamps that my gorgeous friend Martine sent to me as a Christmas present - She must have known what the challenge was going to be as it was perfect ! Thank you darlin !!! She has of course been coloured with ProMarkers, cut out with Nesties and inked in antique linen distress ink.

The lace is from Quixotic Paperie in fact, I could actually enter their challenge this week as it is "Lace" so here you are girls !!!!

The ribbon is from my stash.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I have added some ribbon behind the roses, punched some leaves from vellum and added some Fruit Punch Stickles to the roses.

The sentiment is from a set by Kelly Panacci.

What a change it was not to make a Christmas card !!

Well, that is our last challenge before Christmas so on behalf of myself and the rest of the very talented Colour Create Design Team - MERRY CHRISTMAS ! and we look forward to you joining us next year for more colour combos and optional extras !!!

Thank you for your visit and for any comments you leave, as always, they mean so much.

Big hugs to you all

Simon Says Challenge

Sorry for being so late posting my challenge card today. I had a Christmas party to go to at Fizzy's pre-school and then into town to run a few errands and boy, it was packed !!

Anyway, onto this week's challenge. All we want you to do is say "Merry Christmas" !

"As it is Christmas we have invited 2 special people to be in our Designer Spotlight :-) RIA , who I am sure needs little introduction as you ALL know who she is :-) If by some chance you have been living on another planet and haven't visited her blog you really should , it is fabulous ! :-)

We have also invited SYDNEY :-) Sydney is Joey's daughter(AKA Joey's Stuff) and often makes beautiful cards with her mum :-) Christmas is a time for children and so we would like to encourage you all to get your children involved in this challenge :-)"

Heidi is again very generously offering a P&P free $25 spending spree in the Simon Says Stamp Store !

The DP's are My Mind's Eye Signature Christmas.

The image is "Love Birds" from Whiff of Joy and these have been coloured with ProMarkers. I inked the edges with antique linen distress ink and then stamped the Whiff of Joy Christmas flourishes around the edge in the same ink. I added some Picket Fence Stickles to the snow on the branches.

The flowers and raffia are from my stash.

The rest of the DT's creations are gorgeous, you must go over and see them.

Thank you for your visit and I look forward to seeing what you make and don't forget, if you have any children who would like to take part, please get them crafting !

Hugs to all,

Jo xx

WINNER of Blog Candy # 9

Thank you to all those people who entered my blog candy which was very generously given to me by Simon Says Stamp. Without further ado the winner is......

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers: 48 - Mindy

Timestamp: 2009-12-14 11:05:02 UTC

Many congratulations. If you could please contact me by email with your full name and address I will arrange for your goodies to be sent to you.

Keep an eye out in the New Year for more fantastic blog candies courtesty of Simon Says Stamp !

BasicGrey Challenges

Good morning ! Wow, 12th December already ! Where has the time gone ? I finally made a start on writing my Christmas cards last night so I feel a little more in control ! This afternoon will be spent up in the loft getting down all the Christmas decorations and tomorrow will be spent putting them up - can't wait. The girls will love it !

This week on BasicGrey Challenges we have a colour combo for you - Cream, Pink and Blue and what a gorgeous combo it is too !

I have been making some Christmas presents for Fizz's Godmothers and I had one more set to do so decided to use them in this challenge.

Firstly I made a box to put some scrummy choccies in !

I see that Just Magnolia's challenge this week is "It's Christmas" so I going to enter my gift box.

The box was made with "Box 3" Sizzix die.

The DP's are a mixture of Eskimo Kisses and Nook and Pantry.

Tilda is from the new Christmas stamps and she has been coloured with ProMarkers. I edged the image with Rock Candy Stickles.

The ribbon I bought at the NEC.

The snowflake has been cut with a Sizzix die on corrugated card and I added a cream BasicGrey button with some scrappers floss and beads and oh of course, not forgetting a splattering of Stickles !!

Next we have an altered candle which I bought from The Pound Shop.

The DP's are BasicGrey Eskimo Kisses.

The Cherry Blossoms are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I have inked them with some tattered rose distress ink and added some Stickles. The raffia is from my stash.

The image is an Inkadinkado snowman which I coloured with ProMarkers. I then covered the image with UTEE and cracked it when it was cool. I then warmed it up again and added some "Beadazzle's" around the edge. These are tiny, tiny beads mixed with glitter and really add some colour and sparkle. They of course sunk into the warm UTEE which glued them in place.

The flowers are again from Wild Orchid Crafts and I inked them, added some Stickles and then added some punched leaves and coated them in some Picket Fence Stickles which gives a "snowy" appearance.

I am hoping they will be pleased with their homemade Christmas gifts.

Have you been watching "Kirstie's Homemade Christmas" ? What a fantastic programme that is and what a house. My dream is to have a house and kitchen like that one day. It looks so snug, warm and inviting especially at Christmas. I just loved watching all those different crafts.

Right, must get a jiggle on !

Our challenge will now last until 9th January as we are officially "on holiday" !! The boss has given us hardworking BG girls a Christmas holiday so it's time to crack open the choccies and champers !

On behalf of the amazing and fantastic (and gorgeous) Martine and my gorgeous, gorgeous true friends, the BasicGrey Challenges Design Team may I wish you all a very happy Christmas and all best wishes for the New Year. Please come back in January to play with us again in 2010 - we look forward to seeing you !

Don't forget to enter my Blog Candy which can be found HERE ! I will be drawing the winner shortly so make sure you get your name down.

Thank you for your visit and for any comments you may leave - they always mean so much.

Simon Says Challenge

We have a lovely Christmassy theme for you this week at Simon Says Challenge "Let it Snow".


Again we have the very talented April Rose joining us as Designer in the Spotlight and Heidi is also giving away another $25 p&p free shopping spree round the Simon Says Stamp Store.

The DP's are Cosmo Cricket "Jolly by Golly".

The image is Herby by Whiff of Joy and he has been coloured with ProMarkers. I have also added some Rock Candy Stickles to the edge of the image.

"Frosty the Snowman" is a Magnolia Stamp.

The raffia and button are from my stash.

Sorry about the awful photo again, we have had nothing but rain these past 4-5 weeks and its driving me mad that its so dark all the time. I think the colder air is moving in though at the end of this week so we will be starting with the lovely crisp, frosty mornings and hopefully, sunshine !!!

We look forward to seeing all your snowy creations this week.

Don't forget to enter my Blog Candy which can be found HERE !

I'm Back !!!!

Yippeeee ! I am back in the land of the living !!! hehehe !!

Thank you to all those people who have kept my spirits up by sending their good wishes and for emailing me to find out if I am still alive ! It is so lovely to know how many really good friends you have around you.

I am pleased to say that we are all better now apart from I still have my hacking cough but its slowly getting better.

I've been able to make a few simple Christmas cards (a case of having to really) and when I saw that one card I have made fits three different challenges, I decided to show my face again in blogland earlier than expected !

I think the DP I have used is DCWV but I am not sure. I bought it from my local craft shop and she said she had removed it from a pack but I forgot to ask which one !

The image is by The Greeting Farm and I just love it. It is such a pleasure to colour with my ProMarkers. I have distressed the image with a distressing tool and inked it with antique linen and brushed corduroy distress inks. I then completely covered the image with rock candy distress crackle paint (just love this stuff) and the effect is amazing. You might be able to see it better if you click on the photo.

The sentiment has been stamped onto a piece of twill and then I cut all the edges to give it a "rough" look. I was imagining it to look like a piece of cloth a Shepherd would have with him !

The snowflake is a Sizzix die which has been cut on corrugated card and I added some gold stickles to it.

The button, twine and beads are from my stash.

I can enter this card into these challenges :

Stampin for the Weekend - Red, Green and Gold

I ♥ ProMarkers - Spots (yes, there are some if you look closely !!) and stripes

Crafty Calendar Challenges - Winter Sparkle

Thank you so much for your visit and for any comments you leave. They mean so much.

See you tomorrow for the new Simon Says Challenge !

Don't forget to enter my Blog Candy which can be found HERE !

BasicGrey Blog Candy # 9

Well, here we are again with some scrummy BasicGrey candy for you courtesy of Simon Says Stamp !

So, what do you have to do to win my candy ?

Some of you will be used to it by now but for those first timers, here goes :

Well, there are no strict rules and the comments I make below are not compulsory to enter this draw but it would be nice if :

You could give your support to Simon Says Stamp, BasicGrey Challenges and myself by becoming a follower if you are not already.

Add my blog candy to your sidebar and please feel free to "take away" my blinkie !

Join in with us at BasicGrey Challenges and also Simon Says Stamp's challenge blog, Simon Says Challenge ! You can combine challenges with both of these challenge blogs which is great news !

This blog candy will be open to everyone Worldwide (including all DT members of both challenge blogs) until Saturday 12th December when I shall draw a winner with a random number generator and post a new fabby blog candy for you to enter.

I would like to give a huge thank you to both Heidi and Amber of Simon Says Stamp for giving me this fantastic candy again for you to win.

Good luck !

WINNER of Blog Candy # 8

Sorry for the delay in drawing the winner of my blog candy # 8. Without further ado, the winner is........

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers: 28 - Claude

Timestamp: 2009-11-29 14:03:47 UTC

Many congratulations ! If you would please email me with your full name and snail mail address I will ask Amber of Simon Says Stamp to post your goodies off to you.

Thank you for entering and better luck next time !

BasicGrey Challenges

Good morning and welcome to BasicGrey Challenges ! This week we have a fabulously quick and easy sketch by our ultra fantastic and talented Tara G ! In fact, the sketch was so quick and easy Ms Costello managed to make 6 cards all in one night ! Check them out, they are amazing !!

The rest of the DT's cards are gorgeous too. It's amazing how we can all interpret one sketch so differently. Very inspirational.

The DP's are BasicGrey Nook and Pantry. These are gorgeous papers. Unfortunately, I was rushing to do this card and didn't realise I had covered up the panel of gorgeous fruit paper with my image ! I only noticed once I had taken the photo ! Never mind, it happens to all of us at times.

The image is of course Tilda and I bought her at the NEC. I just love this stamp.

The sentiment is a Cats Life Press stamp and I bought it from here

The ribbon is from my stash.

I'm definately going to make another card using this sketch and next time, you will be able to see the panel !

Again, sorry about the quality of the photograph. The weather here has been dreadful and so dark. We have had the lights on all the time at home and I don't know how many times we have got soaked through. Never mind, I can't complain especially when I see what those poor people in Cumbria are going through with such terrible flooding and damage to their roads and bridges.

I am going to be taking a break for the next week to look after my girls so if you come back and see the same ole card up on the screen, you now know why ! I'm not the best blogger in the World but I try and blog as much as I can.

Both girls are absolutely full of cold and poor Ski now has tonsilitis and I'm full of cold too and have a terrible cough. The lovely Lols and Sharon have given me some time off from Simon Says Challenge and Colour Create so I can concentrate on getting my girls better and also myself and then be back in the full swing of things as soon as I can.

I will be back later to post the winner of my BasicGrey Blog Candy and to also give you a new one to enter.

Take care everyone, thank you for your visit, your best wishes that you have left recently and for any new comments you leave. They mean so much to me.

Don't forget to enter my BasicGrey Blog Candy. You can enter by clicking HERE !

Simon Says Challenge

I seem to be forever saying sorry for my lack of blogging lately but no doubt we are all in the same boat with lots of illnesses and being so busy with children and their many activities in school as well as out of it. I hardly seem to spend anytime at home at the moment in fact, I was thinking about moving into the school last week as I was spending so much time there !!! I only seem to be finding time to do my DT cards and even then its a mad panic at the last minute.

This week on Simon Says Challenge we want to see some Winter Love.

I will also again apologise for the very dark photo. The weather throughout the whole of the UK has been dreadful for a couple of weeks now and trying to get a decent photograph is just impossible (unless of course you have "the biz" !). Hopefully it might start to get better and we can get some sunshine back in our lives.

The DP's are BasicGrey Figgy Pudding and these are just gorgeous for vintage looking wedding cards and not only for this time of year either, I think they would do for anytime of the year as they have a vintage silvery look to them.

The music sheet is a Magnolia stamp "Silent Night" that has been stamped in dusty corduroy distress ink.

The sentiment is a stamp by Cats Life Press and this has been stamped in dusty corduroy distress ink too. The inked background is antique linen.

The image is a Magnolia stamps which a friend of mine bought at the NEC in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago and when I saw this challenge coming up, I begged her for an image to use ! Thank you so much Heather !!! The happy couple have been coloured with ProMarkers. I added some liquid pearls to Tilda's hair band and used a Copic Spica pen on the flowers and the folds on her dress. I have inked the edges of the image with antique linen distress ink and stamped a Woodware holly border around the edge in the same ink. The pearls are from my stash.

The velvet ribbon is by Cosmo Cricket.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and these have been inked slightly with antique linen distress ink and then I added some star dust stickles to them. The leaves have been punched with a Woodware and Leone Em punch and I have added some Picket Fence Stickes to them. Te wires with beads I bought from Hobbycraft.

The scrolls are just pieces of the same paper rolled up and tied with some raffia. Thank's Rach for this wonderful idea !

I absolutely loved making this card, such a shame I haven't got anyone to give it to ! Still, it can be kept in storage just in case its needed !!

Heidi is very generously giving away a prize of a $25 P&P free shopping spree !

This week is tinged with sadness though as we are losing our fantastic DT member Kim. On a personal note, I have worked with Kim a few times now on various DT's and its always been such an enormous pleasure. Kim is one of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet and so talented and inspirational too. Still, she has a very excuse for leaving us, she is spending more time with her gorgeous grandchildren and of course, they must come first. I shall miss you Kim.

The rest of the DT have again done a fabulous job with this challenge so please hop over to the challenge blog and of course their own blogs and have a look. If you visit their own blogs, you may find some hidden candies too !

Thank you for your visit and please bear with me !

Don't forget to enter my BasicGrey Blog Candy. You can enter by clicking HERE !

Surprise !!!

Please don't die with shock - yes, it's me and I'm actually blogging (but, I should be ironing) !!!!

It's my Great Uncle's birthday on Tuesday and he's going to be 87 bless him. Here is the card I have made for him ....



I found the courage in the end to break open my Cosmo Cricket papers. These ones are "Earth Love" just in case you are reading this from another planet !!!

The image is by Lili of the Valley and I just thought it was perfect as I'm sure he will have a little snooze with the paper on his birthday, perhaps not under a tree but a snooze anyway !!! You already know its been coloured with ProMarkers !

Raffia and button from my stash.

"Dream" sentiment by Melissa Frances.

Right, I suppose I ought to crack on with the ironing before the hubster returns from Tesco with the kids and catches me !!!! I'm far to busy to shop AND iron you know !!! ;o)

Thank you for visiting me this afternoon and for any comments you may leave - they do mean the World.

Don't forget to enter my BasicGrey Blog Candy. You can enter by clicking HERE !

Colour Create Challenge

Good morning and welcome to another Colour Create Challenge !

This week our colour combo was chosen by our very talented DT member, Mina and this is her inspirational photo for us all to use

So this week's colour combo is green, red and white with the optional extra being Christmas !

The rest of the DT's work is outstanding again this week and there is a fantastic luminaria that Karen has made that I will just have to have a go at preferably before Christmas !!

The DP's are both My Mind's Eye Signature Christmas which are so yummy and just perfect for that vintage look.

The image is a Christmas Angel from Lili of the Valley which I bought at the NEC. Isn't she beautiful ? She has been coloured with ProMarkers. Her wings have had the Stickles treatment !

The Christmas sentiment behind the Angel is a new stamp from Magnolia so I had to do some masking and bring out my SU stampamajig which is just a life saver and makes life so much easier for any stamping you do, not only masking. I use it for placing sentiments on cards and for centering (is that how you spell it ?!!!) things - an amazing tool and well worth getting one I would say and I don't even work for SU !!!

I inked the edges with antique linen distress ink and then stamped a holly border stamp from a clear stamp set from Hero Arts around the edge in the same ink.

The ribbon is from my stash.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I inked the edges with antique linen distress ink and added some Stickles. The leaves are punched from a Woodware leaf punch and I added some Picket Fence distress Stickles to them to give them a snowy effect.

We look forward to seeing all your fantastic creations and hope you can come along and play with us this week ! We had a brilliant response to last week's challenge and it was so good to see so many of you playing along.

Thank you for your visit and for any comments you may leave, they always mean so much.

Have a great windy and rainy Thursday and I do hope the weathermen have got it wrong especially for those of you in the North of the Country.

Don't forget to enter my BasicGrey Blog Candy. You can enter by clicking HERE !

Simon Says Challenge

Good morning and welcome to another Simon Says Challenge. This week our theme is "Animal Antics". You can make whatever you like as long as it has an animal on there somewhere. It can be big, small, wild, tame, furry, feathery, slippery, slimy the choice is yours :-) We can't wait to see what you all make,, It would be nice to see some Christmas gifts for our pets too !! :-)

Heidi is also very generously giving away a $25 P&P free shopping spree to this week's winner.

For the next 2 weeks we have NORMA LEE joining us in the Designer Spotlight, Norma Lee won a challenge on our Papercraft Planet forum and has a fantastic blog so if you haven't popped by to see it yet you're in for a treat :-)

The DP's are My Mind's Eye "Be Merry" from last year.

The image is by Penny Black and it has been coloured with ProMarkers and stickles added.

The mistletoe is a Sizzix die and I have added some Picket Fence distress stickles which I think are fantastic, it does look like sprinkled snow. I also added some star dust stickles to the berries.

The snowflakes are punched from a Woodware punch, stickled and a gem added to the centre.

I am sorry about the quality of the photo, it is so dark and dismal here again today and it looks like the next storm is coming in as its so windy and throwing it down with rain here today. I may be up in the night holding the fence up by the look of it !!!

Thank you for your kind wishes about the girls. Both are still full of cold but much chirpier (or is that the Calpol ?!!). At least the sickness has stopped.

Please pop by and have a look at the rest of the DT's cards, they are again, fantastic.

Take care and keep well and thank you for your visit today !

Don't forget to enter my BasicGrey Blog Candy. You can enter by clicking HERE !

BasicGrey Blog Candy # 8

Well, here we are again with some scrummy BasicGrey candy for you courtesy of Simon Says Stamp !

So, what do you have to do to win my candy ? Some of you will be used to it by now but for those first timers, here goes :

Well, there are no strict rules and the comments I make below are not compulsory to enter this draw but it would be nice if :

You could give your support to Simon Says Stamp, BasicGrey Challenges and myself by becoming a follower if you are not already.

Add my blog candy to your sidebar and please feel free to "take away" my blinkie !

Join in with us at BasicGrey Challenges and also Simon Says Stamp's challenge blog, Simon Says Challenge ! You can combine challenges with both of these challenge blogs which is great news !

This blog candy will be open to everyone Worldwide (including all DT members of both challenge blogs) until Saturday 28th November when I shall draw a winner with a random number generator and post a new fabby blog candy for you to enter.

I would like to give a huge thank you to both Heidi and Amber of Simon Says Stamp for giving me this fantastic candy again for you to win.

Good luck !