Hi again. I'm back with my Candy Giveaway.

This is a sticky post so it will stay here to remind you to enter (fingers crossed that I've done it right! :D).  Scroll down for my latest posts.

This is the Candy I have for you this month.

As usual it's only for my regularly commenting blog friends, wherever you are in the world, so DON'T put the picture on your sidebar. Just leave a comment below if you would like to be entered in the draw. I'll keep it open until the 31st of May giving you a week to enter.

Good Luck!

Debra x

Hot Air Balloons

Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog. Just to remind you that my blog candy ends today at 11.30pm so you've time to enter still.

Today's cards are more using Card-io stamps (more for the shop). This time using the Up, Up and Away stamps. I had a wonderful time with all the different colours of ink seeing which worked together. Hope you like them.

When I was making another card I forgot to add the ink for the basket on one of the balloons so I tried to stamp the basket separately but didn't line it up properly. Stuart asked what was the matter as I was muttering under my breath so I showed him, "Oh you can fix that" he said. Knowing I couldn't I did a spot of doodling on it and this was the result.

Sorry for the shadow but you can see my added extras :D.

Card Ingredients.

Card Blank- 6" x 6" Craftwork Cards.

White Stamping Card- 14½ x 14½  from Sheena Douglass.

Stamps- Card-io 'Up, Up, and Away'.

Sentiment- Sentimentally Yours from Phil Martin 'Scribbled Sentiments'.

Inks- VersaColor and ColorBox 'Cats Eyes' in lots and lots of colours!

Mask- M.F.T Cloud Stencil.

Stuart reckons I should sell the card but what on earth would I put as a sentiment?!     

Lexi and Chris are coming to the end of their time in NZ. They've done quite a few things there from snorkelling (they even had a wetsuit to fit Chris!) to sailing. They've had a wonderful time there and made some new friends with a couple from Canada who they definitely want to keep in touch with.

That's it today. I hope you're all having a wonderful week so far and you're all happy bunnies :).

Debra x

Topiary Roses

Hi everyone. Hope you're all having great weather where you are. The UK are having some lovely warm weather (but not too warm for me :)) for a change.

I've finally got my lamp, YAY! I managed to get in touch with the company the day of my blog post and received it two days later. I've yet to try it out as I've got cards to make for the shop, where I sell my cards, which don't have any colouring on so I'll tell you next time how I get on with it.

Today's card is one with just stamping using Card-io stamps. These sell well at the shop as they are cheaper to buy than my all singing, all dancing shabby chic cards which are in boxes.

The inside and the envelope flap.....

I've just realised it looks like I've stamped my watermark inside the card, lol!

Card Ingredients.

Card Blank- 6" x 6" Craftwork Cards.

Stamping Card- 14½cm x 14½cm from stash.

Stamps- Card-io 'Rural Retreats (flower pots)', 'English Rose (roses & thorny branch)', 'Pottery Petites (other foliage)' & 'Posh Pots (stem? trunk? not sure what you call it, please enlighten me if you know :D)'.

Sentiments- Sentimentally Yours from Phil Martin 'Scribbled Sentiments'.

Inks- VersaColor

Foliage- 'Laurel Leaf' & 'Green Tea'.

Pots- 'Chateau Gray' & 'Charcoal'.

Roses- 'Ash Rose' & 'Burgundy'.

Butterflies- 'Charcoal'.

Other Stuff- DecoArt Glamour Dust in 'Crystal'.

It's nice just to do stamping alone to make a card sometimes and quite therapeutic with the tiny Card-io stamps too.

Chris and Lexi are still in NZ and having fun although we've not heard much from them as the Internet is quite bad there and they don't like paying for it in the hostels they're staying in but we've seen the photos they've put on Instagram and they look happy :).

That's it for today but watch out for a separate post with my Candy Giveaway on later. Bye for now.

Debra x

Sweet Peas

Hi everyone. Hope you're all having a great week so far. 

I've managed to get some colouring done this week for today's card, Yay! I've been trying to buy a magnifier daylight lamp I saw at a craft show to help me out but after one call where the lady didn't know which one I meant and would ask her hubby and then a message to say yes, she now knew which one and to ring back and order, I've just got an answer machine every time I ring back. Very Frustrating!

Anyway, this card uses the LOTV stamp 'Sweet Peas' which are my favourite scented flowers and always look so pretty. I really enjoyed colouring although I had to do it in short stints. I had great fun crinkling the ribbon with a heat gun too :).

Close up of the image....

Close up of the sparkly 'Birthday' made from four layers of die cuts glued together, inked and then glittered ...

and inside the card...

Card Ingredients.

Card Blank- 6" x 6" Craftwork Cards.

Papers- Maja Designs 'Vintage Spring Basics' & 'Vintage Summer Basics'.

Cardstock- Tattered Lace 'Double Sided card'.

Create and Craft 'White Linen card'.

Stamp- LOTV 'Sweet Peas'.

Ink- Memento 'Tuxedo Black'.

Distress Ink 'Victorian Velvet'.

Medium- Copics markers 'Ciao and Sketch'.

Dies- Tonic 'Oval Layering die set'.

Cheery Lynn Designs 'Sophia's Heart' & 'Birthday'.

Polkadoodles 'Floral Flourish'.

Ribbon- Ribbon Girl 'Dotted Organza'.

Flowers- All Wild Orchid Crafts including the 'White 10mm Rhinestone Flowers with Diamond Centre'.

Stamen- From Anna Marie Designs.

Other Stuff- Pearls 'Large' from stash. 'Small' from MeiFlower.

DecoArt Glamour Dust in 'Crystal'.

Chris and Lexi (eldest son and fiancée), still in New Zealand, have just been to 'Hobbiton' the movie set for 'The Lord of the Rings'. I admit that I am soooo jealous although not of their 30km walk to and partway up 'Mount Doom'. They are thoroughly enjoying themselves and Chris is liking this country the most so far, although the cooler weather may be a factor in this as he's not keen on the heat at the best of times.

Righto, that's all from me. A HUGE thank you for your continuing lovely comments, they really brighten my day to think I have such wonderful blog friends. Sending you all my biggest hugs, oh, and I haven't forgotten about doing another blog candy so I'll try to sort that for next week.

Take care everyone,

Debra x

Two for One

Hello to all my blog friends! I hope everything is going well in your lives.

Oh, just a note about last week's card, Stuart is my long suffering hubby not my son. I didn't actually say so when I wrote the post (for those of you who didn't know who he was). He did think it was funny though :D.

When my eyesight was playing up, and colouring anything was out of the question, I made a couple of cards without an image in my favourite shabby chic style. Here's what I made... warning though as quite a few photos!

Close up of flowers...

and inside...

Blue card...

Flowers close up...

and inside...

You might notice that the heart on the blue card has a little lace on the bottom edge and tiny lace flowers on the other die cuts. These scraps were left over from when I cut the length of lace for my card and I couldn't resist using them :).

Card Ingredients (Pink Card).

Card Blank- 6" x 6" Craftwork Cards.

Papers- Maja Designs 'the Sofiero collection'.

Cardstock- Tattered Lace 'Shades Card in Pink'.

Create and Craft 'White Linen Card'.

Dies- Creative Expressions 'Frames and Tags- Rose Oval'.

Spellbinders 'Classic Scalloped Heart'.

Inks- Distress Ink 'Walnut Stain'.

Memento 'Toffee Crunch'.

Flowers- W.O.C.

Anna Marie Designs 'Stamens'.

Sentiment- Woodware 'Tiny Phrases'.

Lace- Live and Love Crafts now closed :(

Ribbon- Bertie's Bows 'Rose Organza Trim'.

White ribbon from stash.

Butterfly- Dutch Doobadoo.

Other Stuff- Hemtique? True Hemp 'Twine'. Stickles in 'Stardust'.

Blue card

As above apart from...

Papers- Maja Designs 'Vintage Romance'.

Cardstock- Create and Craft 'Cream linen card'.

Ribbon- 'Cream ribbon' from stash.

Which colour do you prefer? Blue is my favourite colour but I'm torn as to which I like the best.

The wanderers, Chris (eldest son) and Lexi (his fiancée), are now in New Zealand are having a bit more of a rest there despite the fact that their travel company that organized their coach trips booked them onto last year's schedule! They've been lucky until now that the buses they should have been booked on haven't been full but unfortunately their next one was and they've had to spend more of their budget to get onto one which is a lot more expensive. That company will be getting very annoyed emails when they return home.

Well, I'll finish here today wishing you all happy crafting and sending big hugs to each of you.

Debra x

Stuart's Birthday card finally!

Hi everyone. I hope those of you in the UK had a lovely bank holiday weekend enjoying an extra day off work.

Thank you for your lovely get well  wishes :), my back is much better now. So I can finally show you Stuart's Birthday card. I hope you like it. 

Stuart really likes otters so I thought I'd make him a bit of a silly cute card with otters. I loved making this card but it was a little hard to make secretly as he kept coming over to talk to me so I was rushing to cover everything up each time!

Card Ingredients.

Card Blank- 6" x 6" Craftwork Cards.

Stamps- My Favorite Things 'Otterly Love You'.

Paper- Fabians Artistico watercolour paper 'Extra White Smooth 140lb 300gsm' (from Noor Design).

Inks-

Memento 'Tuxedo Black'.

Versafine 'black'.

Distress Inks for background-

'Peacock Feathers', 'Salty Ocean', 'Wilted Violet'.

for the sea grasses

'Antique Linen', 'Pine Needles', 'Spiced Marmalade'.

for the fish as above + 'Festive Berries' & 'Mermaid Lagoon'.

Medium- Copics markers 'Ciao and Sketch'.

Can I just point out that I can't paint so the sea grasses do look a bit naff. I coloured the otters with the Copics on marker friendly card and then fussy cut them to go on my background. Well I hope it was worth waiting for :D.

For those of you following my son and his fiancée's journey, they have just reached New Zealand after a fantastic time in Australia, I just hope not too fantastic that they want to live there >:( ! 

Here's a couple of photos.

Lexi with a Koala and.....

 Chris and the Wallabies.

That's all from me today. Sending you all a hug,

Debra x