CATCHING BUTTERFLIES

Good afternoon all, hope everyone is having a good weekend. What a beautiful day it has been today. Bit nippy in the wind but so lovely to have the sun out. Making me look forward to Summer now!!!.

I have been asked to make 12 cards for a friends Grandchildren, three girls and one boy. As my friend does not live so close to them all she loves to send them little packages with cards and she also likes them personalised. So I have made a start. I have dragged a lot of my cute stamps out and even managed to get hold of some Thomas the Tank stickers to do the little boys cards (that is all he is into lol!). Here is my first card.

CARD RECIPE

WHITE, PASTEL BLUE & OCEAN BLUE BAZZILL CARD

LOTV BEAR IMAGE

FLOWERS FROM MULBERRY CRAFTS

SPELLBINDERS LABELS EIGHT

NELLIES MULTI FRAMES

BRADS FROM STASH

FLEXMARKERS & PROMARKERS

STICKLES (DIAMOND & EUCALYPTUS)

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

LADYBUG CRAFTS - Spring is in the air

CRAFTY CREATIONS - Warm & cuddly teddy bears

CRAFTY CATZ - My favourite things (stamps & flowers)

Will be back again soon with more cards to show.

Thank you for stopping by and I really appreciate all of your beautiful comments.

Big hugs Clare xxxxxxxxx

MAKE WISHES COME TRUE (HMFMC113)

Hope everyone has had a Happy Valentine's Day and have managed to clear all of the many cards from their letter boxes!!!. 

I have managed to get the HOUSE MOUSE & FRIENDS challenge (HMFMC113) done nice and early this week. The theme is "make wishes come true" so I had the perfect stamp to use. Here is my card;

MATERIALS I USED

CRAFTWORK CARDS WHITE CARD

PINK HAMMER CARD 

WHITE LINEN CARD

HOUSE MOUSE STAMP

KARS HAT PIN

KAISERCRAFT BRADS

sentiment & TWINE FROM STASH

FLEXMARKERS & PROMARKERS

SPELLBINDERS FANCY TAGS

SPELLBINDERS FLEUR DE LIS SQUARES

It is a little hard to see from the photo but I have lifted the fleur de lis square onto foam pads to give the image shape and I ended up liking the effect of the inner pattern of the Fleur de lis frame instead of squaring it off with a plain nestie. 

Blimey can you imagine having a cake that big lol!!!!!.

I would also like to enter my card into the following challenges;

MY TIME TO CRAFT - Bring on the cake

TUESDAY THROWDOWN - use twine on your card

MOVING ALONG WITH THE TIMES - Cute critters
BUNNY ZOES CRAFTS - Celebrations

Thanks for dropping by and have a wonderful evening whatever you are doing!!!

Hugs Clare xxxxxxxxxxxx

HOUSE MOUSE & FRIENDS LOVE BLOG HOP CHALLENGE #112

HOUSE MOUSE & FRIENDS are having their first blog hop challenge of 2012. The theme IS "love" and has to contain more than one heart on the card.

This is the first time I have taken part in a blog hop and can't believe all of the giveaways that are going on!!!. Here is my card;

INGREDIENTS I USED

RED SHIMMER CARD

GLITTER POT PLAIN WHITE 300gsm CARD

RED & WHITE POLKA DOT CARD BY DAISY BUCKET

HOUSE MOUSE STAMP "LOVE" CHOCOLATE HEART SET

PRIMA FLOWERS & SAY IT IN PEARLS

COUNTRY COMPANIONS HEART BLING

CARD CRAFT SUPPLIES FILIGREE SILVER CORNER & CREAM JUTE

PROMARKERS (IVORY, BLUSH, TAN, BERRY, WARM GREY 1, CARAMEL & SANDSTONE)

"I LOVE YOU" PEEL OFF FROM STASH

Right best get off to post my card as the deadline is looming!!!.

Big hugs Clare xxx

SYLVIE'S CHRISTMAS CARD CLUB CHALLENGE!!!

Hello everyone, hope you are keeping warm. Not sure about you but we had a lot of snow here in Eastbourne this morning. I have been struggling to keep warm today, even though the heating is cranked up. Not having a good day with the Rheumatoid today either and hoping the steroid injection the Rheumy gave me Thursday will kick in soon. He is starting me on a new drug shortly which is monthly and I can inject myself at home which is good. It is called SIMPONI (for my fellow RA sufferer's & medical bloggy friends out there!). So hoping that it helps as this will be the 7th drug trial I have been on.

Anyway onto the gorgeous SYLVIE (GIBMISS) Christmas Card Club challenge which was to make a card featuring snowflakes.

INGREDIENTS I USED

PLAIN WHITE CARD & BLUE LINEN CARD

SILVER MIRRI CARD

WILD ROSE STUDIO POLAR BEAR & PENGUIN STAMP

KAISERCRAFT "BE MERRY" CLEAR SENTIMENT STAMP SET

KAISER BLING

KARS ORNAMENT BOX SNOWFLAKES

SNOWFLAKE CUTTLEBUG EMBOSSING FOLDER

FLEXMARKERS

DIAMOND STICKLES

If you are interested in joining the Christmas Card Club just drop one of us girls an email. We are just a small friendly group who create a Christmas card every fortnight. The girls are listed on my sidebar so why not pop over and see their lovely cards.

Thanks for popping by and I will be back again soon.

Keep warm, love Clare xxx

HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY!!!

It is my lovely niece Rebecca's 18th Birthday today. Just don't know where the time goes it's scary, only seems like yesterday I was cradling her in my arms after she had come home from the hospital.

Me and Dad won't get to see her until the weekend so has helped as been poorly for a few days and got behind with making her cards. 

Rebecca absolutely loves cats (just like her Auntie lol!) so thought I would make at least one of her cards with one on.

MATERIALS I USED

PLAIN IVORY CARD FOR THE EASEL 

IVORY & PINK BAZZILL CARD

MY MINDS EYE PATTERNED CARD

K&CO BROWN PAPER FOR PAPER PIECING THE CAT

HELZ CRUPPLEDITCH COCO CAT STAMP

LOTV CIRCULAR STAMP

PRIMA FLOWERS

WILD ORCHID ROSES

SPELLBINDERS CIRCULAR SCALLOP, CIRCULAR & LACY SQUARE NESTIES

HAT PIN & BOWS FROM STASH

GLOSSY ACCENTS

STICKLES (EUCALYPTUS, PINK & DIAMOND)

PROMARKERS

Just thought I would show you a picture of Miss Simone posing with the card!!!!

I would like to enter my card into these challenges;

PAPERTAKE WEEKLY - Anything goes with the addition of a heart or love theme (I have a heart on the flower pot)

SIMON SAYS - Animal antics

Hope everyone is keeping warm as it's set to get to -13 this week according to weather reports, brrrrrr!!!!.

Big hugs Clare xxxxxxxxxxxx

GORJUSS GINGHAM!!!

Hello everyone. Blimey it's freezing!!!!. Hope everyone is keeping warm and rugged up. I'm not feeling very good today, feeling all fluey but then again it is probably the Rheumatoid. Throat sore, snotty nose, headache and every joint in the body hurting. 

Oh well I guess with this weather it is to be expected.

Anyway's I have made another card using a sketch from KATHY'S WAFFLE SKETCH FILE BLOG, this is the first time that I have participated over at this fab monthly challenge blog. There is still 4 days left to have a go then the February sketch will go up. Go over and check it out.

So here is my card;

MATERIALS I USED

CRAFTWORK CARDS CARD & ENVELOPE

WHITE & MAUVE BAZZILL CARD

HANDY HIPPO MAUVE GINGHAM PAPER 

GORJUSS STAMP (IMAGE FROM A FRIEND!)

CRAFTWORK CANDY

ANITA'S RIBBON

WILD ORCHID FLOWERS

LACE SQUARE NESTIBILITIES

FLEXMARKERS & PROMARKERS

GLOSSY ACCENTS

I would also like to enter my card into the following challenges;

CES CHALLENGES - Check it out

MY TIME TO CRAFT - "A" is for adorable

Well that's it for now. Thank you so much for your wonderful comments.

Make sure you all keep warm my friends.

Big hugs Clare xxxxxxxxxxxxx

FEELING VERY PROUD!!!!

Wow I have found out this afternoon that I was a winner's over at HOUSE MOUSE & FRIENDS for challenge #111 black & white card.

I am excited now as I was when I won Cardmaker of the Year for Craft Stamper magazine in 2010 lol!!!. This is the first ever blog challenge that I have won. I have not participated much in blog challenge sites until recently and now I definitely have the bug!!!.

I absolutely love HOUSE MOUSE & FRIENDS and I am building up quite a selection of these gorgeous stamps. You could say I'm addicted lol!!!. If you pop over HERE they are doing a blog hop with loads of lovely prizes. The theme for the next fortnights challenge #112 is "more than one heart" set by CHRISTINE.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday as I know I am despite the freezing cold weather.

Love & hugs Clare xxx

PINKY'S CHALLENGE AT THE CHRISTMAS CARD CLUB!!!

Hi there everyone!!!. Hoping everyone is well on this cold Sunday morning. I am just posting my card for PINKY'S challenge for the Christmas Card Club.

Pinky's challenge was to create a card with critter's on ie, an animal, a bug etc. So this was my take on it.

Sorry guys i'm so rubbish at taking pic's as it is a bit wonky lol!!!. Oh well atleast you can see it I guess.

MATERIALS I USED

WHITE, GREEN & RED BAZZIL CARD

PENNY BLACK "CHRISTMAS WISHES" STAMP

PAPER (THINK IT IS ECHO PARK)

KAISER RUB ON SENTIMENT

KAISER PEARLS

RIBBON FROM STASH

FLEUR DE LIS SQUARES NESTIBILITIES

PROMARKERS (TAN, BLUSH, IVORY, WARM GREY 1, RED BERRY & FOREST GREEN)

If you would like to take part in the Christmas Card Club just message me or any of the other girls. We make a card every fortnight with a set challenge. It is a great way of getting those Christmas cards made well ahead of December!!!.

Please go see the other girl's creations, they are all listed on my side bar.


I would also like to add my card to;


CHNC CHALLENGE which is to make a square card
LADYBUG CRAFTS which is to add bows to your card
SIMON SAYS anything goes
CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS anything goes
DREAM VALLEY CHALLENGES animals
BIZZY BECS anything goes


Thanks for looking and for your wonderful comments. They mean the world to me.

Have a great Sunday!!!.

Big hugs Clare xxx

BIRD WATCHING FRIENDS!!!

Hi everyone, hope you have all had a good Thursday. I'm just entering my recent make into some challenges. I absolutely love the Prima card that I have used but wish I had brought more as it's sooooo gorgeous!!!!. I can't find any more so if anyone out there knows where I can get some please let me know!!!!. 

MATERIALS I USED

BLUE & YELLOW BAZZIL CARD

PRIMA CARD

HOUSE MOUSE STAMP "BIRD WATCHING FRIENDS"

PEBBLES HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUB ON

MARTHA STEWART DOILY LACE BORDER PUNCH

KAISER PEARLS

PROMARKERS (TAN, SANDSTONE, BLUSH, IVORY, BUTTERCUP, KHAKI, PASTEL PINK & KHAKI)
GLOSSY ACCENTS

I am entering my card into the following challenges;

PAPERTAKE WEEKLY - Happy Highlights (mine is Glossy Accents)

SIMON SAYS  - Anything goes

BIZZY BECS - Anything Goes

DREAM VALLEY CHALLENGES - Animals

That's it for today. I'm just going out to tea with my lovely friend Wendy but will be back again real soon!!!.

Thankyou for your lovely comments, I really do appreciate them.

Big hugs Clare xxx

HOUSE MOUSE & FRIENDS BLACK & WHITE CHALLENGE

Hello blogland!!!! hope everyone is well on this Saturday afternoon. Not sure about where you are but it sure is blowing a gale in sunny Eastbourne. 

After a very slow start this morning with plenty of joint pain I have managed to get a few chores done around the house followed by a lovely warm bath and now heading to the craft room for the rest of the day (may have to shove a little nana nap in there somewhere too due to the heavy artillery painkillers!!!). 

Here is my card for the HOUSE MOUSE & FRIENDS challenge this week which had to be a black and white card.

MATERIALS I USED

CRAFTWORK CARDS CARD, CIRCLE SENTIMENT & SCALLOP CIRCLE

HOUSE MOUSE BIRTHDAY STAMP

DOODLEBUG BLACK & WHITE POLKA DOT PAPER

BLACK TWINE, BUTTONS & RIBBON FROM STASH

I am really loving taking part in the House Mouse challenges now I have plenty more HM stamps. One of my resolutions was to take part in more challenges out there so so far so good!!!.

Have a great weekend my lovelies.

Love & hugs Clare xxx

Challenges!!!

Hi there, just a quick post. Just want to enter my card into some challenges that I play along with. I got this gorgeous LOTV stamp from my lovely friend KERYN for Christmas and this is the first time I have used it.

MATERIALS I HAVE USED

LOTV STAMP
GREEN GINGHAM CARD, RIBBON, SENTIMENT & BLING FROM STASH
LABELS ONE NESTIES
PRIMA & WILD ORCHID FLOWERS
FLEXMARKERS
GLOSSY ACCENTS
ANTIQUE LINEN DISTRESSED INK PAD


I am entering my card in to the following challenges;


WILD ORCHID CHALLENGES - Anything goes
MY TIME TO CRAFT - Your favourite embellishment (mine is flowers!!!)
PAPERTAKE WEEKLY - Buttons, bows, blink or blooms
CHARISMA CARDZ - Happy Birthday
CRAFTY CATZ - Use something new (my something new is my stamp & the gingham card)


Hoping all of my lovely crafting buddies are well on this cold and wet day.


Buckets of hugs Clare xxxxxxxx

KERYN'S CHRISTMAS CLUB CARD CHALLENGE!!!

Think thin is this weeks challenge by the gorgeous KERYN. We had to create a card no thicker than 5mm in it's envelope so no 3d, no thick embellishments, ribbon, buttons etc. Keryn's inspiration for her challenge was through sending her Christmas cards off and being charge ridiculous prices just because they didn't fit within their 5mm limitation before the prices went up!!!. 

I must admit it was indeed a challenge as I had to stop myself reaching for my usual stash!!!. I have surprised myself though and actually really like the flat look. 

MATERIALS I USED

Magenta 5 large tree's stamp

Hero Arts Car With Tree stamp

Kaiser sentiment rub-on

Woodware snowflake punch

Bling from stash

Flexmarkers (Glacier Blue, Honeydew, Aniseed & Blue Grey 1)

Promarker (Sandstone)

Stickles (Eucalyptus and Diamond)

This year we have welcomed two new lovely ladies to the Christmas Card Club, ANNE and LORRAINE. If you want to get ahead with your Christmas cards we have a challenge every fortnight. If you are interested then just drop us a line. 

Please go see all of the other girls lovely cards, they are all listed on my sidebar. 

Hope everyone is having a great Sunday, it is a beautiful day here in Eastbourne but very cold.

Big hugs Clare xxx

MY FAVOURITE CARDS OF 2011

Hello everyone. Hope you are all having a nice weekend. Blimey it's cold out there isn't it!!! must admit I have been curled up in my little bungalow with the heating on all day with the furbabies. 

Ok, I haven't finished cards yet today to show but I thought I would show you my favourite cards of 2011. I didn't think I would find it had to narrow it down but surprisingly I did. I notice a lot of you have been showing off your cards so thought I would follow suit, although i'm probably late as usual!!!. So here goes. 

It is so weird to think of how fast 2011 came and went as doesn't seem that long ago since I was making these cards. 

Thanks for stopping by and I really love and appreciate you comments.

Best wishes Clare xxx

NEW SOMETHING

Aren't these two House Mouse character's just the cutest!!!. I am definitely addicted to HM stamps now and building up quite a nice collection. I made this card for  House Mouse and Friends challenge #110 which is to create something to celebrate which is new to you ie, new beginnings, new baby, new job, new hobby, new stash!!! anything basically that is new. So my "new" to my card is this stamp set which I got just before Christmas and this stamp has never been used before.

I HAVE USED

WHITE & YELLOW BAZZILL CARD STOCK

HOUSE MOUSE STAMP FROM BIRTHDAY SET

OCTOBER AFTERNOON "FARM FRESH-FARMHOUSE" CARD

RIBBON, SENTIMENT, BLING & BRADS FROM STASH

FLEXMARKERS

I am so happy that I have got back into blogging and card making. I have been a good girl and sticking to my resolutions to blog often and catch up with my friends. Finding it very theraputic. Right back to the craft room!!!.

Big hugs Clare xxx

Especially for You

Hello everyone. Hope you are all well on this Thursday Evening. It has been soooo nice seeing the sun today for a change. I even opened a few windows up!!!.

I have made this card for one of my lovely friends, just to let her know I am thinking of her. I used one of my favourite LOTV stamps.

I USED

White linen cardstock

Prima "Jack & Jill" collection paper's

LOTV stamp

Daisy & Dandelion sentiment tag

Bling, ribbon & flower from stash

Spellbinders Floral Doily Motif Shapeabilities

Promarkers & Flexmarkers

Antique Linen Distressed ink pad

Thank you for popping by my lovelies xxx

Loving my Polka Doodles!!!

Just made this card for one of my lovely friends for her recent Birthday. I am so loving Polka Doodle stamps at the moment as one of my gorgeous friends got me one of the sets for Christmas.

I USED

Craftwork Cards 8x8 White Card

White & Red Linen Card

Doodlebug red & White Polka Dot Paper

Polka Doodles Stamp Set

Pebbles "Happy Birthday" rub on

MSE "To a Special Friend" rub on

Kaiser bling

Vintage Photo Distressed Ink Pad

Promarkers & Flexmarkers

Stickles (Eucalyptus & Diamond) 

Hope all of my lovely friends are well and settling into 2012.

Big hugs Clare xxx

Baby Card

Just wanted to share this card with you that I made for my lovely friend Lizzie who has just given birth to her beautiful baby girl Isabella.

I HAVE USED

Craftwork cards 8x8 white card

Red Bazzill card
Funstamps "Baby Bear with Rattle" Stamp
Paper makeup "Little Baby" sentiment Stamp
Floral Doily Motifs Shapeabilities
Red Gingham paper, bling, hatpin, red ribbon and baby charm from stash
Promarkers & Flexmarkers (Tan, Sandstone, Pastel Pink & Antique White)
Worn Lipstick Distress Ink Pad 
Ranger Glossy Accents

Just want to say a very big thank you to all of my beautiful bloggy family for such a lovely and warm welcome back. 

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs Clare xxx