Photo challenge no 2

I've been tagged by Rosie for the photo challenge - I've already done this but its such fun I thought I'd do another one. I've posted piccies of some of my pets but missed out my other cat Megan. I can tell you she was not happy to have been left out - so I thought I'd better post some piccies of her on here - she's a 10 year old grand lady and hates this new kitten I've brought into her otherwise quiet life!

Mind you - when she sees these she's going to be flicking her tail at me. Her name is Megan but she is also sometimes known as Jabba - can you guess why????

And this is one of a few years ago - you can just see her eyes open and if she could have raised one claw at us I think she may well have done!

CRISS CROSS CARD

Sally at Aunty's Forum has set us a card challenge to use the colours Pink Blue White and Purple. Not all of them but some of them. I've been making a load of Criss Cross cards for a swap and thought I'd do one for this challenge. The stamp I've used is one of Sally's Bootiful Stampz - I'll be using these a lot for Easter and Spring cards.

WHIMSY GUEST DESIGNER CALL

I just found this DT call via Dawne's blog via Julie's blog (you know the way it goes LOL!!) And here I have a load of crafting to get done before Friday and I've been inspired to do something completely different.

Here's my card for the challenge - hope they like it. The brief is to follow the sketch and use an animal image. If you have Whimsy stamps all the better. This stamp is SU and the papers are Cosmo Cricket.

I'VE BEEN PHOTO CHALLENGED

Julie has challenged me to the photo challenge - what a great challenge this is

Take your 6th folder on your computer and choose the 6th photograph and tell us a bit about it.

This photo made me smile - we used to live in Houston Texas and had our own pool built. This is a picture of my son Christopher in mid jump with my daughter Emma in the water watching. We had great fun in that pool and I really do miss it and the warm weather. What I wouldn't give, on this cold grey day, to be in there today.

I have to challenge six others to share some photos with us - play if you'd like - there's no pressure.

Nancy

Anesha

Phree

Sian

Carole

Storm

BLOG CANDY ALERT!

I think I need a separate selection on the side of my blog for the blog candy that's going around at the moment - you'll find some more fab candy giveaways at Jeannette's blog

FANTASTIC BLOG CANDY

STEPH IS GIVING AWAY SOME AWESOME BLOG CANDY - AND AS A SU DEMONSTRATOR I KNOW THESE STAMPS SETS ARE NOT CHEAP. WHAT A GENEROUS PRIZE. GOOD LUCK!

THINK MONDAY THINK ATC

The theme over at TMTA this week is Queen. My first thought was to do something with a Queen Bee - and then somewhere in the deep recesses of my memory I thought "I've already done this" and sure enough back in the blog somewhere there it was. So I didn't think it would be right to do the same thing again so I racked my brain to try and come up with something new! Here it is: The crown has glitter on it - not sure if it shows up very well.

Best of Friends??? you'd think so wouldn't you but literally a few minutes after taking this photo, Pepper the kitten on the right decided it was time for play and starts jumping on Felix the poor old cat on the left. Felix is very nearly 16 years and Pepper is 7 months - not much of a contest.

Tara with one of her Christmas presents -" please can I open it now????" She has fully recovered from her op before Christmas.

Some great Blog Candy here

VALENTINE'S CARD

I've made a start on my valentine's cards - have no idea who I'll send them to though - as I normally only give DH one. When we lived in Texas I was surprised at the amount of Valentines they send over there - its not just to partners, but daughters, sons, friends, mums, dads, teachers..... - the list seemed to be endless. I think if I gave my kids one they'd think I was going a bit daft.

Who do you send Valentine's to? Or do you even send them? Just a thought.

This one used some old Stampin Up stamps and some current cardstock - I wanted to give it the image of postage stamps.

ALTERED ART/ARTY GIRLZ CHALLENGE

A couple of pieces of altered art today for the Team Challenge over at Aunty's forum. The theme was fantasy - and this is really my first try at altered art - especially the CD - I quite enjoyed doing it.

I stamped the Cherry Pie image on the coaster and clear embossed. Used my new Brayer tool (woohoo) to ink the coaster - added a clear quartz crystal and other embellishments. I really like this and as it isn't a card - I can get to keep it and look at it.

The CD is double sided so if it turns in the breeze I'll still get the image.

On my blogging travels I found another new challenge site for me - Objet D'art and their challenge this week is to alter a tin. I've always wanted to have a go and saved a few tins we received for Christmas just in case I was inspired.

I've altered this tin to house all my blossoms and blooms. No I don't have many LOL!

The wording around the endge of the tin reads:

"Every possibility begins with the courage to imagine"

Bev has some gorgeous blog candy up for grabs.

Arty Girlz challenge this week is to use buttons - funny I was thinking of doing this for inchy challenge blog - I'll have to think of something else now! LOL!

Here's mine - I've done a Valentine's Card

Blog candy

Jo at Siggi Shop has some blog candy up for grabs to celebrate her blogoversary!

Congrats Jo xxx

BRAYER

One of the gifts under my Christmas Tree was a Brayer tool - I've always wanted one - isn't hubby clever? LOL!!!

Technique Zone has some blog candy on offer - you need to send them in a piece of art which uses one of their techniques. This was ideal as I could have a play with my new Brayer. The stamp is from a Stampin' Up! Hostess Set - Organic Grace. The backing paper on the ATC is also SU - Taken With Teal.

BLOG CANDY ALERT!!!!

POP ON OVER TO MY STAMPIN' UP! BLOG FOR A CHANCE TO WIN SOME STAMPIN' UP! BLOG CANDY.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Oops - better late than never - hope you all have a very creative and peaceful New Year.

Its taken me a little while to get back blogging again, the trouble with Christmas is that I love having all my family around me and then when they all go back to school and work and the house is mine and the pets it gets so quiet and I just couldn't find my mojo anywhere. I searched high and low - but its slowly creeping back so I've been back "doing" again.

Over on my inchy challenge blog - check out the gorgeous pieces our guest designer has done this week - they are just inspirational. Here's a little peek

Over on my SU blog - its Thank You card time - for all the lovely presents we had for Christmas





I found a new blog today which helped me get my Mojo back. Its called Awfully Big Art Adventure, you'll find them here. The challenge they have is to produce a sign with a WORD for the year - a message for yourself for the year ahead. My message to myself was "DO" - I've decided I'm a great procrastinator and am always saying I'll do things but don't always follow through. I've made a canvas which will go on my wall in front of my craft desk. All I need to do now is look at it and Do!!!

I'm also going to enter this for this week's Arty Girlz challenge.

2 More Days to Go

I've not really had any time for crafting as there's so much else to do - I just wanted to wish all my readers and anyone else who comes across my blog a Very Merry Christmas and a very peaceful and healthy New Year.

SKINNY CHALLENGE

The thing about waking up early - before anyone else is about - is that I seem to get some time to craft and my mojo kicks in. I love being up early when its dark outside and I have the Christmas lights on inside - something very peaceful and magical about it all.

So I managed to get a Skinny done - I've been wanting to do one for ages to support Carole's challenge blog - this week the theme is Party so I've chosen Party Animal. I'm not one by the way! LOL! Couldn't you just cuddle this bear though!

I've used twinkling H2O's - not sure they show up very well though. Tim Holtz distress inks for the background again.

Objet D'art Challenge blog

I found a new challenge blog thanks to Julie of Scrapping Away as she is their Guest Designer this week. The theme is Tags. You'll find it here

I used Cherry Pie Stamps to create my Tag Oh Christmas Tree. Oops - not very straight is it? The inks were Tim Holtz distress inks.

INCHY BY INCH - LAST ONE THIS YEAR

The last challenge of the year for InchybyInch is now up and running. We will start again in 2009 with a Guest Designer.

If you've been meaning to have a go at Inchys now's your last chance for 2008. They don't take long - honestly.

This week's theme is GIFTS:

CHERRY PIE - YULE

This Yule card is for a special forum friend of mine who gives me inspiration in her art, she picks me up when she knows I'm down, and she offers support from afar - and I've never even met her. I hope she likes it.

All stamps - Cherry Pie - apart from the swirls in the background which is actually the lower half of the Father Christmas stamp I used a few postings ago. The inks are Tim Holtz distress inks.

Not a Christmas Card! LOL!

I've been spending some time tidying up my craft room - mainly cause I could hardly move for bits of paper and ribbon and there was hardly any space left on my table - only about enough to make an inchy!

It always looks so inviting when its all tidy and I know where everything is and I find it is a great motivator. I even found a Cherry Pie stamp I haven't used yet - so I sat down and made a non Christmas card!

BLOG CANDY

There is some gorgeous unusual blog candy up for grabs over at Pollycrafts - you can find it here

Christmas Door Hanger

Wow - time goes quickly when Christmas is around the corner - I've been busy doing a few craft fairs with Stampin Up and making Christmas cards till they're coming out of my ears!

Thought I'd make something a bit different though and I made a Christmas door hanger for the kids to hang outside their doors or maybe me!!! LOL! This is the front:

This is the reverse:

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!!!!

The theme over at inchy challenge blog today is snow - well some of the UK has had snow lately - but we haven't yet down here in the South - flipping cold though.

Whilst rummaging through my stamp boxes - I found an old Christmas stamp I haven't used this year yet. Its called For The Memories and is made by Stamps Happen, I think. The eagle eyed among you will note my inchy from the challenge - I've used the spotlight punching technique and included the inchy.

The words on the image say:

Make the moments matter - for the memories you give,

will be with them forever, for as long as they may live

STAMPIN UP LOVELY AS A TREE

The inspiration for this card came from Ellie's blog. I did mine with Silver embossing powder and added the sentiment and the stars from the Wondrous Gifts set. (This is one of the sets you can choose free if you book a workshop in December and reach your targets.) The trees are from Lovely As A Tree.

I love the way this card has turned out - I think I'll be doing some more on a similar theme. Doesn't it give it a lovely wintery feel?

UPDATE ON TARA

Just to let you all have an update on Tara, my dog. She had her operation on Monday and I'm so relieved to say it was a success. She didn't need to lose her leg and the surgeon thinks he's got all of the fatty lump away. Thank goodness we went for a second opinion. We should get her back home with us tomorrow and I can't wait - the house has been so quiet and empty without her.

Thank you all for your good wishes - I'll post a picture of her when she's feeling more like herself! LOL!

Now - on to some crafts. I'm at a Craft Fair on Saturday with my Stampin Up goodies and have been busy trying to get some cards and boxes and gift ideas together. I'll post them on my SU site later.

In the meantime - here's another example of that Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamp - with SU papers.

SANTA COLLAGE

I'd seen this stamp whilst blog hopping and was lucky enough to get hold of it - I didn't realise how rare it was and how popular. Its made by Rubber Stampede and is known as Santa Collage.

I've used SU's papers and ribbons and some of the new SU Felt flowers. The word stamp is from Imaginisce stamps - I reallly love the word Believe on Christmas cards.

Hope you like it!