My 5 Favourite Cards This Year

Hi,

The lovely Debby has decided to do a 'My Favourite 5 Cards from 2010' (and is offering a fabby prize of 2 PB transparent stamps too) and this was even more difficult then the Christmas Cards - in the end i chose cards or images that had a meaning to me :

I couldn't not include this one, as it was the first card i ever put on my blog and entered a challenge with, way back in April and i have never looked back

My first ever DT card for Valentines Monthly Challenge - thanks Clair for asking me to do the challenges

I bought this stamp when it was half price from Crafts U Love. I also love those Bo Bunny papers - Love Bandit, a well used MS Valentine lace punch and my new toy Tim Holtz distress inks, that i've used.

I managed to buy this stamp from a friend who no longer wanted it - but i do i just love the cuteness of it. I have also used vellum, which is an item i don't use very often, but i loved the subtle effect it produced, so will defintely use it again and also those fabby Basic Grey papers - Wisteria.

I love this cutie of a stamp, and i had been after it for a while - i already had it in a transparent set, but it was far too small. I also loved using the Basic Grey papers - two scoops and the colour for the cup and saucer are so far out of my comfort zone, but i think it works really well together.

Thanks for looking, Luv Sam x

.... Micey Day!

Hi,

I hope you all had a fabby Christmas and didn't eat or drink too much !!! Mine was quiet just myself, son and OH - i only got 1 pressie and it was a token gesture from son, it was the Michael Buble CD, as OH is banned from buying me pressies, as the first year we had son, he bought me a white dressing gown !!!, eer how daft was that - so instead before Xmas, when Debenhams had 20% off everything, i went in and bought myself a Radley handbag and purse and told him that was the present, he would have bought me, if i had allowed him.

Right onto the Card - Yipee, this is my last Mothers Day card for SOS (Support Our Soliders), so next week i will be sending all 10 off, so that they can be sent to our troops and then they can send them back here in readiness for Mothers Day.  For this card i'm also using an image that i've had a for a while, but never used.

I'm sorry about quality of photo, only it's really foggy here and therefore it's not very bright indoors - I've updated photo from earlier on, as i was so not happy.

Right on to the Card and Challenges :

Sketch and Stash - where they are up to Challenge No: 51, where they are holding a blog hop and also you can choose a sketch - i have chosen Sketch No: 13 - i hope it's not unlucky for me !!!

Moving Along With The Times - where their Challenge is : 'Anything Goes - As Long As It's Not Xmas'

Top Tip Tuesday - where Challenge No: 15 is 'Frame it and Embellish it'

Sew Many Challenges - where Challenge No: 37 is 'Anything Goes'

Papersundaes - where Chalellenge No: 49 is 'Cut It Out' - I've used my scissors to cut out the image (have decoupage it) and the flowers

Image - Penny Black - '....Micey Day'

Papers and Flowers - My Minds Eye - 'Pretty Please Spring Papers' free with a magazine

Corners - Sizzix Die - Architectual Accent No: 4

Gems from stash

Thanks for looking, Luv Sam x

Merry Christmas Everyone

Hi,

I just thought i would pop up here and wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and show you the card i made with the help of 3 year old son ( who helped daddy punch out the circles and he stamped all the greetings himself - but please don't ask me what my rubber stamp looks like now though !!!) for his friends at nursery.

Son also decided he wanted mummy to put a picture of him on my blog !!!

Son got up at a very respectable 8am this morning, so we were well happy and he is now happily playing with 'Morgans Mine' - it's to do with Thomas The Tank Engine - take along track.

Thanks for looking, Luv Sam x

My 5 Favourite Christmas Cards

Hi,

Debby is running a great little idea, of showing off your 5 favourite Christmas Cards, then you link back to her blog, where you could win 2 LOTV stamps, how cool is that, - i thought this would be easy, but now i'm not so sure !!! so these are my favourites :

I was always going to pick 'Snowy', as he is a sweetie, my favourite and so versatile and it also gave me a chance to use some fabby DCWV papers - Winter Mat Stack - as because of the size 4.5" x 6.5", don't get used very often

My first try, at all 'White' and i really like how it came out and i won't be so hesitant about doing another one next year.

This one, as he is such a sweetie and i love those Cosmo Cricket - Jolly By Golly papers too

I wasn't sure about Santa not being in red in the beginning, when i read Squirrels challenge on ABC Christmas, but once i got my head round it and found these fabby K & Co - Peppermint Twist papers, i rather fell in love with him

This image is a little bit special, as i won her in a blog candy and also my Christmas Cards are usually PB stamps and she is a LOTV, plus also it was an honour for me to get a comment from the lovely Dawny P

Thanks for looking, Luv Sam x

Naughty Or Nice

Hi,

Firstly i must apologise for the photos of my cards at the moment - i know they look a bit rounded !!! - well the reason is i have lost the lens of the front of the camera (it's somewhere in the house, but with a 3 year old, it's probably in a place that it shouldn't be !!!), but i'm on the case have contacted olympus and they have put me in touch with a someone who can send me a new one, yipee, but probably won't be here till the new year !!

Boiler got finished on Wednesday, so i'm now living in a 'Ready Brek House' - we had a slight mishap on Tuesday night - we had a gas leak and had to call out British Gas, who came and changed the meter, thank goodness.

Right on to todays card - i know i said i probably wouldn't make anymore Xmas cards - but when i saw ABC Christmas Challenge had a blog hop, then i couldn't resist, as i have entered a few of their challenges over the year and absolutely loved them - it also gave me an excuse to use this really cute image, that i've had for a while, some fabby doodlebug papers and to have a play with my new MS deep punch border.

Todays Card and Challenges :

ABC Christmas - where they are up to Z for Zero time left and blog hop - you had to pick challenges from the past year and i have gone for :
F for Frosty, I for Ice and W for Wonderland

Simons Say's Stamp - where the Challenge is 'Silver / Blue and White'

Moving Along With The Times - where the Challenge is 'Let It Snow'

Stampin For The Weekend - where Challenge No: 53 is 'Christmas'

Creative Inspirations Challenge - where Challenge No: 49 is 'Anything Goes Christmas'

Bunny Zoes Crafts - where Challenge No: 7 is 'Sparkle and Shine'

Docrafts - Snoflake Challenge Week No: 51 - sorry hun i nearly got there !!!

Image - Penny Black - 'Naughty Or Nice' - covered in Stampin Up Heat & Stick powder, then Dazzling Diamonds

Papers - Doodlebug - Doodlecharms - taken from a 6"x 12" pad

Punched - Martha Stewart - Deep Edge Snowflake Punch

Silver Snowflakes - from that well know craft shop 'Matalan' !!!!!

Thanks for looking, Luv Sam x

Purrr-fect Time

Hi,

Well as i type this i have 4 men in my house (and none are that good looking either !!!) 2 plumbers and 2 electricians putting a new boiler in for us- we coped ok last night without any heating - but it was the no hot water and kitchen covered in brick dust that did my head in !!!

Ms Savage (Paul O'Grady) was brilliant in 'Aladdin' and it was really good as we managed to meet up with an old friend (Jane) after, that we haven't seen for 18 months.

Right onto todays card - it's using a PB stamp that i managed to get in a half price sale (along with a few others) earlier in the year and i thought it would be purrrfect !!! for this sketch and for some paper piecing too. This is also my 9th Mothers Day card for the troops, so only 1 to do.

The Card and Challenges are :

Marks Finest Papers - where Speedy The Cats Friends Challenge No: 33 is 'Paper Piecing' - i've done the cushion  the cats are sitting and the rug on the floor.

Totally Papercrafts - where Challenge No: 33 is 'Paper Piecing' - see above where the paper piecing is

Sketch and Stash  - where they are up to Sketch No: 50

Delightful Sketches - where their Challenge is 'Embossing' - orange section - leaves

Image - Penny Black - 'Purrr-fect Time'

Papers - My Minds Eye - 'Bloom & Grow'

Sentiment - Woodware - 'Tiny Phrases'

Flower - Wild Orchid Crafts

Distressed Flower and Sentiment - Tim Holtz - 'Shabby Shutters'

Ribbon from stash

Thanks for looking, Luv Sam x

Snow Trot

Hi,

Well boiler man didn't start job yesterday, so i'm still lovely and warm, but he will be coming Monday instead and OH is bringing home an electric heater from work and hopefully it will only be for 1 night.

Tomorrow we are taking 3 year old to his first Panto - oh no we're not, i hear you cry, oh yes we are !!! - we are taking him down to Southampton to see Paul O'Grady and he's bringing Lily Savage (i so love Lily, so we are really going because of me, but you need an excuse to go and ours is Son ) back to life for the very last time in Aladdin.

Right, i hoping this is the last Christmas card i'm doing this year, as i have 2 Mothers Days cards to do for mid January and as it's son's birthday on the 3rd and his party on the 9th - so i can't forsee me being able to get on with making cards for a while !!!

I chose this sketch as it enabled me to use the DCWV papers that i love, but they are 4.5" x 6.5", so you are limited on the sketch / design you can use !!!,  plus i love the bright and funky colours and so does son.

Todays Card and Challenges :

Simon Say's Stamp - where the Challenge is 'Christmas but NO Red or Green'

Top Tip Tuesday - where Challenge No: 13 is 'Use Ribbon on your creation' - i've used my Ribbon Strook, that i bought at Ally Pally last year for the very first time - shame on me, but i like it's effect, so will use it again, promise.

The Secret Crafter - where Challenge No: 112 is 'Christmas'

Crazy 4 Challenges  - where they are up to 'Crazy4 Challenges C4C66'

Papertake Weekly - where this weeks Chalellenge is 'Red and Green must not be seen'

Fab n' Funky - where Challenge No: 52 is 'Christmas For the Children'

Docrafts - Snoflake Challenge No: 50

Image - Penny Black - 'Snow Trot'

Papers - DCWV - 'The Winter Matstack'

Sentiment - Three Bugs In a Rug - 'Tis The Season'

Punched Edge - MS - Snowflake

Distressed Image - Tim Holtz - Milled Lavender

Ribbon thread done using - a Ribbon Strook

Ribbon from stash

Thanks for looking, Luv Sam x

Tea Cozy

Hi,

Gee we may have no snow, but boy is it cold !! and in this house it's going to get even colder starting tomorrow, as we are having a new boiler fitted and that means no central heating for 1 night Brrrr - i know stupid idea, but we did try and sort it out in the summer, but the plumbers who came round to give us a quote never followed up with a piece of paper, urgh.

Well todays card is all about Recipes - and as i was a cook for 15 years, i thought it would be easy - oops wrong kind of recipe, well it did feel like that about 3 hours ago, when i couldn't find 3 small pink buttons and the flower punches !!. I've used papers today that i have never used before, and i don't know why not as i'm loving the colour combination and it's the first outing for this wooden stamp too - i have the same image on a transparent set, but that's a bit small.

This is also the 8th card i've made so far for SOS - to send out to our troops for their mums for mothers day, i have 2 more to make before i send them out in January.

Right onto todays Card and Challenges :

Basic Grey Challenges  - where Challenge No: 34 is a 'Recipe' - 3 papers / 1-2 images or sentiments / 4 embellishments - mine are : ribbon, gems, buttons, flowers

Crafty Calendar - where Challenge No: 15 is a 'Sketch'

Moving Along With The Times - where Challenge No: 75 is 'For Someone Special' - for one of our troops in Afghanistan to send back for their Mum

Stampin For The Weekend - where Challenge No: 52 is a 'Recipe' - 2 Circles / 2 Squares / Buttons and Bling

One Stop Craft Challenge  - where Challenge No: 109 is 'Tea or Coffee Inspiration'

Image - Penny Black - 'Tea Cozy'

Papers - Basic Grey - 'Two Scoops'

Sentiment - Personal Impressions

Flower Punch - X-Cut

Ribbon - American Crafts

Buttons and Gems from stash

Thanks for looking, Luv Sam x

Nose To Nose

Hi,

Yipee the snow has all gone bar a huge mound at the end of my road - now i'm really busy catching up on all the things i wasn't able to do last week as OH (got sick too) was home all week and son for 3 days - just spent 30 mins in post office posting cards , 3 were for Australia, so i'm sure they now won't get there in time !!!, at least we now have all of son's Xmas and Birthday (3rd Jan) pressies, yipee - thanks to Amazon and Toysrus.

Right on to todays card and 'Beauty' - i picked this image as :

1) To me seeing my 3rd year old Son and Whisper playing nicely in the field - is the best feeling in the world

2) Whisper -  is such a cutie and i love her to bits (although some people may not agree, as they are not  dog people) she's a rescue dog and we have had her 5 and a half years and i wouldn't swap her for the world, so much so that OH is dreading the day anything happens to her.

Right on to today Card and Challenges :

Sweet Sketch Wednesday - where they are up to Sketch No: 78 - they do fabby pratical sketches

Tuesday Throwdown - where Challenge No: 27 is 'Embellish It'

A Spoonful Of Sugar - where Challenge No: 132 is 'A Recipe' - 3 Patterned Papers, 3 Flowers or Buttons and 3 Gems

Penny Black At Allsorts  - where this months Challenge is 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'

Fab n' Funky - where Challenge No: 51 is 'Happy Birthday'

Image - Penny Black - 'Nose To Nose'

Papers - Basic Grey - 'Max and Whiskars'

Sentiment - Hero Arts - 'Small Greetings'

Punched Edge - EK Success - 'Paw Prints'

Dog Paw buttons and gems from stash

Thanks for looking, Luv Sam x

Jolly Follies and Snow Dog !!!

Hi,

Thanks for all your kind comments - i'm feeling back to normal now, thank goodness.

Am i the only person who is fed up with the snow !!! - we got well and trully dumped on, on Wednesday night (we now have 12 inches) - before that we had had 2-3 inches - so with the 2 days i had in Yorkshire last weekend and the 3 days i've had back in Sussex, i'm now officially over the snow and want to get out and about again and go to Toysrus and get my son an Xmas pressie, as Toysrus are the cheapest place round here for the V-Tech Storio.

Oooo i went craft shopping in Cas (Castleford, West Yorkshire) market last weekend and bought loads of lace and it only cost me £2.14 - i was shocked, as back in Sussex, it would have cost me probably 3 times the amount !!!, so watch out for me using more lace on my cards now.

With todays card - i thought i would stop stroking my Basic Grey - Figgy Pudding papers (that i've had for a year !!!) and finally use them (i do have the 12x12 papers as well, so it does easy the blow at little), i've layered it up on pearlescent silver card (i hope it shows up) to finish off i've used a snowflake charm (that i bought at the NEC) and some lush Stampin Up ribbon (that i think i may buy a reel of now, as i only have a metre of it, as i bought it in ribbon share).

Right onto todays Card and Challenges

Valentines Monthly Challenge - (my DT card ) where this months theme is 'Snow' and you have to use 1 Stampin Up product - i've used ribbon, sentiment and punches for sentiment

Stampavie and More - where Challenge No: 119 is 'Snow / Snowflakes'

Simon Say's Stamp - where Domi has come up with a Sketch

Top Tip Tuesday  - where Challenge No: 12 is  'Anything Goes'

Totally Papercrafts - where Challenge No: 45 is 'Xmas Punches'

The Crafty Pad - where Challenge No: 99 is 'Snowflakes'

Sew Many Challenges - where Challenge No: 34 is 'Snowflakes'
Docrafts - Snoflake Challenge Week No: 49

Image - Penny Black - 'Jolly Follies' transparent set

Papers - Basic Grey - 'Figgy Pudding'

Punched Surround and snowflakes on image - Martha Stewart - Snowflakes

Sentiment - Stampin Up - 'Best Yet'

Ribbon - Stampin Up

Distressed Image, Sentiment, Papers - Tim Holtz - 'Pumice Stone'

Metal Charm - from stash

I thought you would also like to see :

My 4 Paws and wet nose - 'Whisper' enjoying the snow (she wears the coat as she is 13 and has joint problems in her shoulders)

Thanks for looking, Luv Sam x