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Sunday 30 September 2012

4 Jolly Snowmen

Hi again - if you read my earlier post for today you would know I was on a mission to get my Christmas cards for September completed - 12 per month is my aim and I think this little bunch completes the set.  If you see another post you will know I can't count!

These 4 snowmen I have to say I really like - nothing to do with my colouring I just think it is a wonderful image (Serendipity).  I hope you like them too.





Penny Black & CCC12 September

OK it is the last day in September and I have not completed my 12 cards - yes it is going to be a busy day.  Here are two cards made with Penny Black images I water coloured.

Both are very simple cards using the same cute image which I have just mounted in different ways.



This one uses buttons and bows - well a single bow but 3 buttons!


Saturday 29 September 2012

Count Your Winter Blessings

This card was born from an old button!  When we were in the USA recently our friends took us to an Antique Fair because they love picking up all sorts of collectables.  I wasn't too sure about it but it was a beautiful day and we could just browse so no harm done.  One of my recent "spur of the moment" purchases had been some Pebeo paints although I hadn't been brave enough to play.  I started looking round at the fair for old cheap things I could use to "play on" and I found some big buttons.  Well having created a "new button" I needed something to do with it and today's Speedy Fox and Friends challenge to use circles got me started.
The large snowflake is made with Spellbinders dies, carefully assembled and then sprayed with glimmer mists and perfect pearls.  The large button was added to the centre.  The card base was sponged with two shades of ink through a mask - I used Memento Lulu Lavender and Adirondack Eggplant.  The sentiment from MFP Snow Gifts was stamped in Memento Elderberry.

I am entering this card in 3 challenges
Speedy Fox and Friends - use Circles
Stampin Sisters in Christ - handmade ( I hope it counts)
CCC12 - another one for September!

Thanks for checking this out and stopping by - hope you are having a great weekend.

Friday 28 September 2012

MFP September Blog Hop - Tweet That

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 
   September Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are
Buried Treasure Featured September 25
Going Batty Featured September 26
Autumn Splendor Featured September 27
Tweet That Featured September 28

Today is the last day of the blog hop and we are featuring a cute set called Tweet That.  I made a Christmas Card that I posted at the weekend with this set and I will show it again now.

I also made this new home card with the set and I will add it to my collection.  For this one I used the sketch SC401.

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on September 29, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday September 28, 2012.

Thursday 27 September 2012

MFP September Blog Hop - Autumn Splendor

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 
   September Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are
Buried Treasure Featured September 25
Going Batty Featured September 26
Autumn Splendor Featured September 27
Tweet That Featured September 28


Autumn Splendor is my favourite set this month and my first card uses the sketch SC402.  I used a new to me technique on the vertical strip using a highlighter pen and distress ink.  The main image was coloured with Copics.  I used an M-bossabilities folder on the horizontal panel.  I am entering this card in the Sentimental Sundays challenge.

My second card is a thank you card.  It is going to the carers in the home where my Mother in Law was while we were in the USA enjoying ourselves a few weeks ago - the carers did a brilliant job.  Again it was coloured with Copic markers.  2 stencils were used on the background and 2 different coloured distress inks. 




Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on September 29, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday September 28, 2012.

Wednesday 26 September 2012

MFP September Blog Hop - Going Batty

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 
   September Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are
Buried Treasure Featured September 25
Going Batty Featured September 26
Autumn Splendor Featured September 27
Tweet That Featured September 28

Now Halloween is not something we celebrate but we do give sweets to the little kids that come round none the less.  The cute images on this new set are fun and I actually wanted to play some more but ran out of time.  I may use the set again next week and also make some tags for the 31st "trick or treaters"

I needed a Birthday card for a 31st October birthday and we always tease her about being born on Halloween.   I used SC398 as my sketch.


I am not sure who will get this one



Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on September 29, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday September 28, 2012.

Tuesday 25 September 2012

MFP September Blog Hop - Buried Treasure

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 
   September Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are
Buried Treasure Featured September 25
Going Batty Featured September 26
Autumn Splendor Featured September 27
Tweet That Featured September 28


My cards using Buried Treasure are quite simple.  

The first is for my Nephews Birthday this weekend and will hold some "dosh" inside.  When you are 16 you want to choose your own stuff (aka Treasure!).  I used a paper that has gold on it and then used distress inks on it, polishing it off the gold.  The map was distressed and coloured to make it look old.  A few areas were coloured with Copics and the skull  & crossbones were coloured with a Picket Fence distress marker.  I used SC399 for my card.

 





Inside the card I added a simple pocket for some folded notes or a gift card.








My second card uses the parrot and is showing parrot like repetitive behaviour.  The paper here is from Papermania.  Copics were used for the colouring and Memento inks for the stamping.




Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!)
All four winners will be announced on September 29, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday September 28, 2012.

Monday 24 September 2012

MFP September Stamps - 5th Set preview

Tomorrow is the start of Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's September Blog Hop! 



Today I am showing you a card made with a set which is part of the September release but is not part of the hop. 

The set is called Holly Jolly Greetings.  I used 14th September Sketch Frenzy Friday sketch for this card but used a Spellbinders shape rather than a basic rectangle.

Please pop back tomorrow to see more new goodies and for your chance to win some of the new sets.

Jugs155

For my FOSTV 39 card please see post below this one or click here

I haven't been able to play along with the Jugs challenge for a few weeks but I have this week.  Mum wanted a card for my nephew, her grandson, who turns 16 this weekend so I used the style of the Jugs challenge with some slightly altered colours - had to use a brighter blue - he supports Chelsea!

I used the pennants for my message and managed to find a Grandson stamp (not sure what make) in my stash to go with the Happy Birthday from MFP.  No other stamping just lots of fiddling with die cuts and scissors!



Thanks for looking and for leaving sweet comments.

FOSTV39 - Tickets and Tags

I took this week's challenge very literally and actually made some tags.  I needed to get some items off with tags attached and so here are the ones I came up with.

This one went off with a card and is actually quite a large tag as I wanted to write a fair amount on the back.  The papers, ribbon etc. are also from MFP - one of the packs that have all the bits in!  As well as the image from Dogwood Blossoms I have used a stencil to add some dots to the background, and paper pierced two corners .  Apologies for the photo quality - I took it in a hurry just before I sent it off!

My other tags are simple Christmas tags using the set called Snow Gifts.  I left two parcels in the USA with our friends and needed tags for them.  I failed with Christmas wrapping paper but they did get Christmas tags and starry paper.


Many of the others in the talented FOSTV design team were a lot more creative and made cards using tags and tickets so don't forget to check their blogs.  We would also love you to play along this week with us and create something with tags and tickets.  All the friends of Speedy TV challenges can be found here and this week it is challenge 39.  The prize this week is called Island Life - a great set you will want to try and win.

Thank you for looking, have a great week and please leave me a little "love".

Don't forget the Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich company, blog hop starts on Tuesday - don't miss it!!!

Sunday 23 September 2012

VLV September Week4 & more

OK I told you another card would follow.  This one is a little crazy and shows a sneak peak of a set being released by Marks Finest Papers, A Heinrich company this week called Tweet That. 




I have used the colours from this week colour challenge (CC393), the layout from VLV week 4 and the little bird and sentiment from the new set.  I have paired it with a sentiment from the Christmas Greetings set.

Run over to the MFP store in a couple of days and you will find all the goodies.  Pop back here and to my team mates blogs and you could win some goodies - the hop starts Tuesday.

VLV September Week 1 - CCC12

I continued to use the September VLV sketches to add to my Christmas cards.  This time with sketch one I have used bling - perfect pearl sprayed doily, metallic card for the baubles and plenty of Stickles on the cute Penny Black image.

This is what I ended up with
Thanks for checking this out - another card coming really soon!

Friday 21 September 2012

VLV September & CCC12

Well I am back from holiday and not working right now.  With more time creating seems more difficult! 

I am back working from Tuesday for a few weeks and then I will be moaning that I have no time to breathe - just can't please some people!!!

It is a Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich company, blog hop next week and I got my new stamps yesterday.  I haven't completed any cards yet although I have done some colouring and plenty of thinking. 

Today I have two Christmas cards to show you using the sketches from VLV for weeks 2 and 3.  Week 1 was too difficult to start with!  They will be 2 of my 12 for September as part of CCC12.

This card uses the week 2 sketch, some paper scraps from my desk and a lovely deep red ribbon.  The sentiment embossed in gold is from Verve.

The second card uses the week 3 sketch and one of the new expandable dies from Spellbinders ( I just used it on a circle).  Lots of glitter, a sentiment from Verve and 2 different DPs - DCWV for the dark one, Reminisce for the turquoise one.  I also used some plain white card with the Swiss dots folder from Cuttlebug and some perfect pearls!


Now that the temperatures have started to fall and the colours are changing Christmas does not seem that far off. 

I hope whatever you have planned you have a great weekend.

Janine

Monday 17 September 2012

FOSTV 38 - Bingo

Here is the Bingo Card for this week's challenge if you would like to play along with us at Friends of Speedy TV




There is a lovely stamp set up for grabs to one lucky participant called Old Summer and this is what it looks like.

The card I made was tough to photograph but here is is - using the middle row (ribbon, butterflies and easel) and also using SC397.  The paper is from a Bo Bunny pad which is called Gabrielle and is available from MFP.

Here is a closer look at the butterflies.

Please join us in this weeks challenge - you just need to pick a line from the Bingo card that works for you.  We would love to see what you create.

Sunday 16 September 2012

Raising of the post flag

Today I had a first - I raised the mailbox flag to get this card collected and sent off. Last weekend we went to a really fancy fund raising ball with our friends. We went as guests of his boss and his wife and it was a great evening and there was a great deal of money raised for the Childrens Theatre. The card is a little "thank you" to Jeff and Janet who were our hosts. The theme of the ball was White Rabbits and Black Ties and was all Alice in Wonderland based. Here are a few snaps from the ball
Yes I did pack the dress!
Hubby all decked out
The Stage
Chris & Jules at Dinner




Table Decor

More Table Decor

Yet More Table Decor

The Table We Sat At
Janet




Children of the Company entertaining us





















































Now you have checked all these out here is the card I made as the the thank you - couldn't do the theme as had limited images with me but as Jeff and Janet go up to a lake in the summer this seemed quite appropriate.  The image and papers are from Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich company.


Tuesday 11 September 2012

Please Pretend it is Monday - FOSTV 37

Apologies for the lateness of this post - too busy enjoying myself and lost track of the days!

The challenge at FOSTV this week is to CASE a card from someone you admire.  My card is CASE'd from a beautiful card made by Beate Johns a few weeks ago.  Her card can be found here.  I love Beate's work and have admired what she does for many years - she encouraged me to post my first card to Splitcoast!  Please take a look at her blog Fresh and Fun

Well it is your turn now to consider whose work you might like to CASE and produce a card fro this week's Friends of Speedy TV challenge.  There is a stamp set to be won called New Pines - a really pretty set.

Monday 3 September 2012

Back to School - FOSTV 36

Many kids will be sorry to be going back to school right now, but the card I made is for a teacher friend who goes back properly this week.  I only found out on Thursday though that she has had to do summer school too - so the 6 weeks off in the summer has been reduced to only 2 or 3.


My card uses the MFP set recently launched called "Lesson Learned".  I am sure many people saw the blog hop and how the design team used this set.

We would love you to join us in the Back to School challenge this week, making a card or project on this theme and if you join in you stand the chance of winning a set called "I'm in Stitches" which is another cute MFP set.  If you pop over to Speedy TV and check out the FOSTV challenges and look for number 36.

Apologies for posting late but I am enjoying some time off!

Janine