ROSIE'S BUDDY BUS - CHARITY CHRISTMAS CARDS

Well, I managed to find a bit of Mojo but it was hard work - but then I do love making Christmas Cards. These are for a special person Rosie who is going to try and sell them for her charity - find out more about Rosie and Nick on Rosie's blog http://alteredartandstuff.blogspot.com/ Here are a few I've made today - I hope you manage to sell them Rosie!

ANYBODY FOUND MY MOJO?

Well, I have a day of crafting ahead of me as I have no car so can't go anywhere and, horror of horrors, I've lost my mojo.

If anyone finds it can they send it back to me so I can do something productive with my day today.

Thanks!

Technique Thursday Challenge

Here's another Thursday Challenge site I've found - this one asks you to use buttons as a technique

THURSDAY CHALLENGE - PATRIOTIC

One of the things that hit me when I lived in Texas was how patriotic every American is. Most houses have the American Flag hanging outside, every morning in the schools the kids start the day by reciting the National Anthem - even if they are first generation, they are proud to be Americans. I don't think we have that sense of patriotism in our country, well our four countries to be exact! Unless its a sporting event!

So my challenge this week is to make a patriotic card - it could be used for any of the Saints' Days, David, George, Andrew or Patrick or just generally celebrate what you love about the country you live in!

The stamps I've used are from a company called Scottishbordersstamping which is run by a Scottish lady living in Houston, Texas.

WEDNESDAY STAMPERS - MOO CARDS !!!

When I first saw this I thought I haven't got any stamps with cows on them!

But that's not what MOO cards are - they are fiddly little things roughly 1" x 2" . I had a look at some of the fab examples and thought, right I'm up for a challenge.

Here's what I came up with - I'm going to have another play and see if I can do better.

What's your favourite glue?

I've just been getting in a right strop with the glue I'm using. It's useless to say the least - got more of it on my fingers than on the card - I was trying to stick a piece of ribbon down and I ended up getting the stamped image dirty and having to do it again!

Just wondering what everyone's favourite glue is?

4x4 CHALLENGE - FRANCE

Exactly 21 years ago this week I was in Paris for my first Wedding Anniversary - my hubby had arranged it as a surprise trip and I had absolutely no idea we were going there. We walked and walked and I loved everything about the city! I can't believe I haven't been back in 21 years!!! One of our most memorable meals was buying a bottle of wine and some bread and cheese and sitting on the banks of the Seine overlooking Sacre Coeur so I chose Vin as my theme for this 4x4!

Tanda Stamps

I've just bought myself some Tanda Stamps - I never used to like unmounted stamps but since using and selling Cherry Pie Stamps I've become a bit more adventurous! These are the sets I have just bought - now all I need to do is cut them all out (!) and get creative!

I just love these inchie sized ones - what a fab idea!

TMTA - SMILE

Think Monday Think ATC challenge was a smile - I couldn't help but use this Cherry Pie stamp - a perfect choice me thinks!!!!

Alphabet Challenge - M

Up to letter M this week on alphabet challenge - the extra challenge was to not use any stamps and to use the colours pink and brown - Not use any Stamps??????? How do I do that? LOL!

SATURDAY STAMPERS - TREES

Saturday Stampers challenge this week was trees. I love the idea of this stamp but am never sure whether it really works or not. It can be used as a Christmas card also.

Caardvarks Challenge

Thanks to Crissi for finding this challenge site - the challenge was to use Chipboard on your card. The Christmas Tree Stamp is Cherry Pie Art Stamps -http://www.blogger.com/www.stores.ebay.co.uk/CHERRY-PIE-ART-STAMPS-UK the word joy stamp is Stampin Up. The Chipboard Letters are K&Co

Saturday Stampers Poetry Challenge

Saturday Stampers set the challenge of using poetry on a card. The poem reads:

"It is a sweet thing, friendship, a dear balm, a happy and auspicious bird of calm." by Shelbey Shelley.

ALPHA CHALLENGE - LETTER 'L'

The Alpha challenge letter this week is 'L'. I chose not to do the extra challenge of the waterfall or the birds - I used La Luna and Light as my inspiration for the letter L. All stamps are Cherry Pie! http://www.stores.ebay.co.uk/CHERRY-PIE-ART-STAMPS-UK

I'm still not happy with the inks though - they are not as intense as I would like.

WEDNESDAY STAMPER

Wednesday Stamper's Challenge was to use a fish. I always find fish very difficult but here's my attempt.

THURSDAY CHALLENGE

THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE IS TO PRODUCE A HALLOWEEN INCHY. LET'S SEE HOW MUCH SPOOKINESS (!) WE CAN GET ON A SMALL PIECE OF CARD!!!!!

Magickdiva String Challenge

Here's a great submission by Storm for my String Challenge. Thanks for joining in!

INCHY CHALLENGE

The Challenge over on Inching Artists was Little Wings.

I used Cherry Pie "MAGIC" stamp for the background word and Cherry Pie Fairy stamp for the image. http://www.stores.ebay.co.uk/CHERRY-PIE-ART-STAMPS-UK Edged in gold and added sparkle glitter to the fairy. I think you can just make out her delicate wings.

4 x 4 CHALLENGE

4x4 Challenge this week was to use a flourish on your art work. I don't really have any flourishes so hope these work - the ART stamp is from Cherry Pie Stamps and the flourishes are Stamping Up.

Arty Girlz Challenge

I'm up to the Challenge Arty Girlz!!!! Here's a card for a cat lover - all stamps used are Cherry Pie Art Stamps - I love the swagger on this cat!

CARDMAKERS UNITED CHALLENGE

CMU has posted a challenge this week to use doors or windows on your cards. I've done this one but not entirely happy with it - not sure whether to put this one in the challenge or the one I did with the stamp I won from Julie's blog

TMTA - Coca Cola Challenge

Well - they really made it hard over at TMTA this week - as someone already said - great publicity for Coca Cola. So the challenge was to make an ATC with Coca Cola on it.

Thanks to Google for the Cola images - the background is a script rubber stamp I have - the As Time Goes By label is from some heritage papers I have.

Notice it says TRINK on the Coca Cola bottletop! Thought I'd add a touch of German in there!

LOOK WHAT I RECEIVED

I did a swap on Aunty's with Crissi for a scrapbooking book and look what I got in return - aren't they fab????? Thanks Crissi, I love them! I got two fab dominoes too which aren't shown here - I'll upload a photo of them later!

Scrapwest Challenge

Scrapwest http://www.scrapwest.typepad.com/ set a great layout challenge of using one of the Seven Deadly sins. I chose to do Pride and here's my layout.

I'm so pleased that it has been shown among some absolutely fab layouts on their blog page.

JUST PLAYING AROUND....

I've just been playing around with some of my Cherry Pie Art Stamps - trying to get the "arty" look - I don't think I've got the correct inks so maybe a small purchase is in order.

I should have really been doing housework today as I've got visitors at the weekend but......then again, maybe not! LOL!

SO MUCH CRAFTING, SO LITTLE TIME!!!!!

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

Look who I received in the post today - my good friend Storm from Aunty's forum made him and I was delighted to receive him this morning - he was a great surprise. I'm going to drill a hole in him and he can go on my Christmas Tree when the time comes! PS - he's a dominoe!!!

Thank you Storm - see more of Storm's work on her blog......www.simplystorm.blogspot.com

DARING CARDMAKERS - WORD CHALLENGE

This was a difficult choice as I have a lot of cards with one word on them - I was torn between Autumn and Winter - I wonder which one I should submit???

Inchy Swap

I'm doing my first inchy swap since starting my blog. Thanks to Joanne at http://www.madebyjoanne.blogspot.com/ The inchies had to include circles on them somewhere.

Anyone who knows me well is amazed that I actually even attempt inchies because I get frustrated doing anything that is fiddly and that is just what inchies are. I persevere though!

Technique Thursday

The challenge stated: "This week's technique is folds. Find new ways to fold your cards, overturn some corners, or create fancy borders with a fan-fold. Explore ways to use folds on your embellishments."

This was a card I had done previously - with the top left hand corner folded over. All stamps, papers and embellishments are Stampin Up

THURSDAY CHALLENGE

I'm going to change my Friday Challenge to a Thursday Challenge - just to keep you on your toes.

The Challenge this week is to produce a card with string on it. Here's my example to get you going:

Inching Artists Blogspot

Inching Artists blog set the theme of "Under The Sea" for this week's inchy. http://inchingartists.blogspot.com/

Here's mine - the embossed crab stamp is Stampin Up!

Craftykrafts Competition

Donna at http://craftykrafts.blogspot.com/ set a competition which I found really hard. Not a rubber stamp in site!!!!!

She put a template on her site for you to copy and asked you to do something with it.

Here's my entry Donna! The words say "Wish Shoe A Happy Day" Groan, groan!

My Friday Challenge

I'll be posting my new Friday Challenge tomorrow - I've been busy doing mine ready to show - so watch this space and drop on by tomorrow and join in the fun! Could be a layout, a card, an atc, an inchy......... he he!!!

I've been baking too!!!

I've not only been crafting in the last week - I've been baking and chutney making too.

I LOVE this time of year and love to make my own chutneys ready for Christmas. This year I've made a new one - Winter Relish, using blackberries, elderberries and apples. All gathered by me. I'll let you know nearer to Christmas what it tastes like!

I also made a Blackberry and Apple cake which was eaten almost straight away - I'll have to pick more blackberries then if I'm to make another one!!!

Papercraft Junkies

Papercraft Junkies had set a challenge with the following criteria

"My challenge is called A to Z and I'd like you all to incorporate a letter or monogram in your LO/card/ATC/altered project. It can be one single letter, or a whole alphabet, and it can be about or for anyone you like"

I'd just had a call from a friend who was suffering from her first cold -so I made this card - thought it would be a different sort of Get Well Card. Stamps are Stampin Up

Stampers Wednesday Challenge

WOW - they've come up with a hard one this week! Off to get my thinking cap on and my stamps out - got to be some of my Cherry Pie ones I think.

"Carmel Trigwell from Australia inspires us this week with her gorgeous and glamorous ATC Tryptich which is the new challenge. (Read here what a tryptich is.) We’re looking forward to your interpretation!"

Here's my take on the challenge - the script in the background is Hero Art - all others Cherry Pie.

Daring Cardmakers Challenge 2

Daring Cardmakers have come up with a mid-week challenge

"Big & Little We'd like you to use items in pairs of Big and Little - so you need to have both sizes on your card ie big & little buttons, big & little die cuts, big & little hearts, big & little circles etc The theme of your card can be whatever you like this time, so that's nice of us, isn't it?"

This is Daring for me cause I wouldn't normally use these colours. I have used a big and little cat stamp (courtesy of Cherry Pie Art Stamps) big and little brad and big and little buttons. The word stamps "it's perfect" are Stampin Up

What crafting tool could you not live without?

I am useless at cutting straight lines - so I love the Creative Memories cutting tools and rulers. I also love to use eyelets and love the Making Memories tool kit - only trouble is I've lost the very small eyelet maker and can't seem to get a replacement unless I buy a whole new set!

Change of Template

I keep changing my Template - I wasn't quite happy with the other one - it all looked so messy. I'll give this one a go for a few days and see if I like it better!

Sister Scrapbook Challenge

Today's challenge was to do a masculine page with a flower on it. I chose to do a layout showing the Colorado Columbine which is the State Flower of Colorado. This picture was taken up in the Rockies when Jonathan and the kids were having great fun playing in the woods. Play was suspended though when a young bear turned up - I'm not sure who was more curious or scared!

4 x 4 CHALLENGE

The 4x4 challenge this week was TIME - I've never tried this size before - I suppose they are just like large toppers! Used Stampin Up stamps and papers.

My Friday LEAF Challenge

Here's my take on my Friday LEAF challenge

TMTA's Monday Challenge

This is the challange this week from TMTA

"This week it’s all about slide mounts. You can use the original ones, glue paper on them and stamp on them. There are also paper ones available or those made of plastics, they are coloured and monochromic, so just go ahead. No matter if they are original, stamped or punched - show us your slide mounts."

Off I go to see what slide mounts I have!

I didn't even know I had these - its great what you find at the bottom of your stash!!!!!

The art work is Cherry Pie Art Stamps!

CHRISTMAS (!) IN SEPTEMBER???????

Do you know I was in Marks and Spencer the other day and they had Christmas Cards in.

Well, as you probably know, I adore Yule/Christmas and I thought, if its good enough for M&S maybe its good enough for me! So I fancied setting up a Christmas swap. The idea is to make your own Christmas tree hanger to hang on a tree and swap with each other. It can be made out of any material you like - plastic, paper, card, dominoe (!) - just as long as you can hang it on a tree.

If you are interested - leave me a comment and your blog so I can get back to you.


DECK THE HALLS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY
TRA LA LA LA LAAA, LA LA LA LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alpha Challenge

Another great site I have found on my travels through cyber space!!!! No wonder I'm tired.

This one posed the following challenge - It had to start with the letter 'K' (I've missed all the other letters !) and it could also add the following two options:

It could be black and white plus one other colour

Add script to the background.

I used Cherry Pie Art Stamps for the script background and the key - and the heart and the Love word are Stampin Up!





I think I've done all three in this example: I've never done a black and white card before - I really enjoyed doing this and will go and try some more.

The website link is http://alphachallenge.canalblog.com/

CHERRY PIE ART STAMPS

Cherry Pie do some fab stamps and they are all designed by Marina in Florida. Here are some that would look fab in any autumn scrapbooking or card projects you may have - especially my Scrapbook Challenge!

All stamps can be purchased through my ebay store (see the link on the right) or my contacting me by email - www.ukcustomscrapbook.com

Autumn Reds!!!

This is a card I made from a stamp I got in a swap from my friend Shellie on Aunty's Forum. Thanks Shellie. I coloured the stamp in using Stampin Up watercolour pencils and a water blending brush. The Autumn stamp is also Stampin Up - I was so pleased to find an American set with the word Autumn not Fall, that I nearly fell over (!) in my rush to buy it!