I am so excited.  The online magazine Scrap Street has an article on Caardvarks with contributions from all the Design Team.  You can check out the Caardvarks article here or see the whole edition here.

We had to make a Thank You card for the article; this is mine:

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (butterflies, sentiment); Paper - Pebbles Ink; Pearls - Crystal Stickers; Gems - Papermania; Spellbinders Nestabilities; silver thread.

Don't forget to upload your shaped card to the Caardvarks gallery before 3rd June.

And I have finished all my blog day cards so I can finally make and share some cards!  Bring on the Hero Arts background challenge :)

Finding time...

I wish there were more hours in the day.  I've spent the last 2 days frantically searching for bridesmaids dresses after realising that the ones I wanted were out of stock.  I'm such a ninny to leave it so late.  Thankfully, I've now got all 4 dresses in my wardrobe.  All is OK...  Now for the shoes...

So I made a quick and simple card for the HA "Manly" challenge.  Not that it's that manly... I love colour too much.  And stitching... So it's a girly manly card. :)

Supplies: Stamp Hero Arts; Coloured Pencils - Faber-Castell; Kraft paper; coloured cotton.

Hope everyone is well and having a good week.

Cards for Heroes Blog Hop

Isn't the card making world full of lovely kind hearted people...

Sandy and Fabre are 2 such people.  They are running this Blog Hop to raise awareness of their fabulous venture, Cards for Heroes which sends blank greetings cards to serving US armed forces to write home on.  

My card is in honour of Sandy and Fabre to say a massive well done for their efforts.  Their generosity is certainly inspiring.

Supplies:  Stamps - Hero Arts (stars, sentiment, scallop); PP - Bo Bunny, Bazzill, recycled cake box; Buttons - Basic Grey.

Not only is this Blog Hop a fabulous opportunity to see hundreds of amazing blogs and cards, but there are going to be LOADS of prizes and giveaways too.  YAY.

SO: click HERE to be taken to the next blog on the hop - Simply Sarah.

Or: click HERE to start the hop from the beginning at the Cards for Heroes Homepage.  

Enjoy!!!

Glittery monkeys and shape cards

Hello!  I hope everyone is enjoying their week.  I am getting so frustrated not being able to share my creations... but my Hero Arts Blog Day is fast approaching and I am busy creating for that.

But in my rest time, I created this card for Dawn McVey's current Challenge.

I love these colours!!

 

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (flowers); Button -Hero Arts Neutral; PP - Papertrey Ink, Bo Bunny Double Dot Coffee; Nestabilities Labels 1 Dies.

And as it's the 20th, it means there's anew Caardvarks challenge.

The theme this week is Shaped Cards, and the prize is  3 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Reviews - an online Scrapbooking and Cardmaking magazine.  Click here for details.

So here is my card, made for a friend's daughter.

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (monkeys, crown, letters); PP - Pebbles Ink Baby Pink Dot; Glitter embossing powder.

I hope everyone gets a chance to enter this fun challenge.  Good luck :)

Dots...

I made this card a few weeks ago and somehow forgot about it.  I thought I'd post it tonight in honour of the Hero Arts Dots challenge.  I am a massive fan of dots - almost all my cards contain dots - but I have not had the time to make many dotty cards this week.  I hope to make a couple this weekend.  Until then, happy Friday everyone.

Supplies:  Stamps - Hero Arts (Thank You); Paper - My Mind's Eye; Buttons - Papermania.

P.S. Thanks to my lovely friends Pia and Paula who provided almost ALL the products I used to make this card.  You guys are so kind.

Well Wishes for a Friend

I am still really absorbed with making cards for my day on the blog, but when I found out tonight that one of my friends isn't very well, I had to make a card for her.  

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (background flowers, dot flowers, screen, sentiment); Button - Hero Arts Spring; Ink - Versamagic Pretty Petunia 

Get well soon my lovely friend!  So sorry you are feeling poorly.

Jennifer and Jenn... my favourite stampers.

I'm spending my days dreaming up cards for my day on the Hero Arts blog.  The pressure...  So in the meantime, I created a couple of cards inspired by my 2 favourite stampers.

Firstly, Jennifer McGuire.  She posted this card today based on this one by Shari Carroll.  Both cards are stunning.  I wanted to make a card for Jennifer, just to say Hi.  She's such a lovely and inspiring person.

Supplies:  Stamps - Hero Arts (Screen Shadow, Flowers, Scallop, Hello); Papers - Bazzill (Swiss Dot) and Pebbles Ink (Baby Pink Dot); Pearls - Crystal Stickers; Inks - Versamagic (Pixie Dust and Pink Petunia).  Various circle punches and Kraft paper also used.

And then I made a card based on this amazing one by Jenn Biederman.  Jenn's talent blows me away.  Every card she makes is jaw-droppingly good AND she's just the sweetest person.  

Supplies:  Stamps - Hero Arts (Birthday, Bunny,Trees); Papers -Bo Bunny (Double Dot Powder Blue) and Pebbles Ink (Spring Green Dot)

Jenn's style is VERY difficult to imitate!

I'm on with loads of exciting Caardvarks projects too.  The next few months' challenges are going to be awesome.  Technically, I should be preparing for my wedding, but the stamps are calling me....

P.S.  Edited to add that I have started adding descriptions to the products I use and some links.  I hope it's helpful. :)

Caardvarks and Inspiration.

So it's the 5th which means a new challenge at Caardvarks.  The challenge is sponsored by Unity Stamps,  and there's an amazing prize up for grabs!

All you have to do is create a card using a verse or saying.  It doesn't have to be Unity - anything will do.  Here is the card I created:

 Supplies:  Stamps - Unity;  Patterned Papers - Die Cuts with a View (Nursery: baby Boy), Polka Dot paper was a gift fro Pia; Gemstones and Buttons - Papermania; Machine stitching with silver thread.

I hope you get the chance to participate.  Would LOVE to see you there.  Click here for more information.

I made a couple of cards tonight for the current Hero Arts challenge.  This one is inspired by Jen, her card is here.

Supplies:  Stamps - Hero Arts (Screen Shadow,  Sentiment, Flourish); Flowers - Hero Arts; Pearls - Papermania; Inks - Versacolor (Sky Blue) and Versamagic (Jumbo Java).  Machine stitching and Kraft paper also used.

And this one is inspired by Patty - her card is here.

Supplies:  Stamps - Hero Arts (Sentiment, Bird); Flowers - Hero Arts; Patterned Papers - Bo Bunny (Double Dot: Mellow Yellow and Mint); Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels One; Various circle punches also used.

Hope everyone is well.  Thank you all for your lovely comments and for visiting my blog every day.  You really do make my day!

My Big News!!!!

I'm a very happy girl today.  Jennifer McGuire picked me as the winner of Hero Arts' 'Win a Day on the Blog' contest. So I'm all excited and happy and smiley and have been all day.  And even Andy got his share of the glory. :)

Here's the link to the announcement.

I'd like to say a massive thanks to Jennifer and all the inspiring crew at Hero Arts.  They really are the best company EVER.  

Glitter, glitter everywhere...

I dreamed about glitter last night.

There is a light coating of glitter on every surface in the house.

So I made more glittery cards today :)

I won this Cornish Heritage Stamps Chloe the Deer stamp on 2Peas recently - so so cute.

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (Sentiment, Background, Leaves, Bird) and Cornish Heritage Farms (Deer); Paper - Bo Bunny (Double Dot Wasabi and Chiffon); Ink - Versacolor (Sky Blue);  Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One.

  

You all know I love shaker cards.  Here is one of the ones I made today.

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (Sentiment, Tree, Ladybird); Paper - Bo Bunny (Double Dot Powder Blue);Ribbon - Creative Impressions; Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One.

And tomorrow is a bank holiday.  Another day at home!  Another glittery day no doubt!!!

Glitter Fun

I had a very productive day today.  First, I created a card for Dawn McVey's Raspberry Color Suite Challenge.

Such gorgeous colours.

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (Pram, Others); Hero Notecard; Ribbon - Creative Impressions; Gemstones - Papermania; Buttons - various; Cuttlebug and Dies.  

Then I made a card for the Mayflowers challenge at Hero Arts.  Love my new Spellbinders dies.

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (Scallop, Big Butterfly, Small Butterfly, Flowers, Sentiment); Ink - Versacolour (Sky Blue); Gemstones - Papermania; Spellbinders Dies Labels One. 

2Peas are celebrating National Scrapbooking Day in style and MellyPea has about 30 challenges running this weekend (check out her blog here).  I am totally inspired!

So I got my glitter out...

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (Cupcake, Sentiment); Papers - Doodlebug Embossed Cardstock, Pebbles Inc Baby Pink Dot; Button - Papermania; Spellbinders Dies Labels One. 

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (Butterfly, Sentiment); Ribbon - Creative Impressions; Paper - Bo Bunny (Double Dot Powder Blue); Gemstones - Papermania; Spellbinders Dies Labels One. 

This butterfly was such fun to make.

Finally, I decided to make a set of 22 mini scallop cards for one of my classes - they are about to take their exams and I have enjoyed teaching them so much.  I'll miss them loads.

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts (sentiment, animals - various); Gemstones - Papermania; Spellbinders Dies Scallop Circles

I'm pretty tired now  :)

May Flowers

Finally got some ideas tonight... and made another card for the Mayflowers Challenge at Hero Arts.  I am also entering it in the CPS Challenge.

Hero Stamps and felt flowers, Bo Bunny Paper, Creative Impressions ribbon, Cuttlebug labels dies.  

P.S. Get your tree cards uploaded to Caardvarks by midnight tonight...  click here to see.

Creative Block...

I can't believe it's been a week since I made a card.  I haven't had a break this long since I started making cards a year ago!  Feeling a bit lost and worried about my creative block, I made an attempt at a card tonight.  I kept it simple, following the Hero Arts flower theme over at their blog (here).  Too simple perhaps...

I hope to be back to my usual 2 a day soon!!!

Stamp, Kraft card and flowers HA, paper Basic Grey Porcelain.

Lovely Deborah Nolan

The fabulous Deborah has interviewed me as a Wednesday Wonder on her blog.  If you want to read the interview, click here.

Deborah, thank you so much for such lovely comments. I am truly honoured.

Thank You Hero Arts...

for my lovely HM prize.  They sent me the Swrly Frame stamp.  So tonight I made 2 cards with it.  It is PERFECT for this week's HA challenge - distressing.

Love it.  Thank you so much Hero Arts!  They are the most generous company ever!

New Caardvarks Challenge

Today the new Caardvarks challenge begins and the theme this time is "Trees".  It's sponsored by Taylored Expressions and there's a great prize up for grabs:

Be sure to head on over to check it out.  Click here.  There are some gorgeous cards there created by the lovely Design Team.

These are the cards I made.

Stamps and buttons are Hero Arts.

If you head to Caardvarks, be sure to check this out.  It's your chance to be showcased on the Caardvarks blog for the weekend of May 1st - 3rd.  Sounds like fun.

As for me, I was back to school today... tired now... but not too tired to make a card.  :)

Thank you Jennifer McGuire

OK, so I made time tonight to make a card before midnight.  And I took inspiration from Jennifer McGuire's amazing layout here which has been on my mind for some time.  Isn't it stunning!  So Jennifer, as a big thank you for your super kind comments on my blog, this one is for YOU.

PPs all K&Co and Bo Bunny.  Stamps Hero Arts.

Pink frogs!

Pink polka dot frogs... not sure why, but they make me smile.

I used another of Kristina's sketches here and also created my own message for the Hero Arts challenge here.  I used 'All Occasion Messages', and the word 'Smile' from one of the 'I Care Frame Messages' stamps.

Paper is American Crafts and the adhesive ribbon is by K&Co.

It's difficult to tell but the frogs have brown goggly eyes.  The pack has blue and green ones too - can't wait to give them a go!  It's the little things that excite me :)

2Peas Challenge

I've only recently worked out 2Peas, it's such a massive site and I'm a bit technologically challenged.  But I love so many of the artists over there that I had to get involved. :)

So tonight I made a card based on a sketch by Kristia Werner (see here).  I created it for the Hero Arts My Message challenge - using 4 different stamp sets to create the sentiment...

The stamps I used: CL150 - Heartfelt Messages (wishing you) 

CL266 - Mix and Match Elements (the best) 

CL277 - Birthday Frames and Messages (birthday)

CL130 - Frames and Messages (ever - made out of the word enjoy, very very difficult and impossible to make perfect. Grrrrr.) 

K4892 - Decorative Birds (image cut out and reversed.)

I used pattered paper samples from Papertrey Ink, available here to try before you buy. Have printed off a few samples to try out. Love it. I also used my new Nestabilities frames.

1st Birthday Card

I'm going to a 1st Birthday Party tomorrow!  So I needed a card.

I based it on this gorgeous card here by the fabulous Anne Gaal.  She even provided a template for the number 1!  I might have to see if she has any other numbers available - this was such fun to make.  

This is also for the Hero Arts My Message Challenge which involves creating your own messages out of a mixture of sentiment stamps.  In the inside of the card I used a variety of stamps from Hero Arts Mix and Match Elements and All Occasion Messages to create 'You're One Today'.  Great challenge!

All Stamps and buttons Hero Arts, PP Bazzill Swiss Dots