DCM - Black & Only One Other Colour

This has to be the hardest challenge for me as I have limited supplies of mono colours. I almost gave up & I think this is just PANTS, but seriously it is all I can come up. My patience has been tested today!!! Black & red. The photo is appaling which doesn't help, but it is raining yet again, here in Scunthorpe, cruddy daylight!!!! Black cardstock for card. Red paper from MM, greeting handmade on computer using a font & two dingbats. Button papermania new red mini pack, thread dmc embroidery. Hearts cut with a folkart heart punch.

Art Journal wk 21 & a Card Sketch

Both cards are made using HOTP Icy Rainbow pack.
I wanted to keep my AJ card subtle & dreamy. I picked
redeeming qualities I wish to improve. I wrote them using
a marbled gel pen. I cut a circle from the paper & backed it
with pale pink vellum & embossed a flower stamped image with silver
& clear heat it up powder. The flowers are from a pot, just flowers & tiny pink buttons form the centres. My qualities are I am a good friend. I want to be more confident, fearless, less stressed & happy. The card sketch was done using Dawn's (ScrapnnMo) sketch. I inked the edges. Used pae marble type paper & added the strip up the centre. thank You Dawn, it is great & I will try to keep up!!!!

Di Hickman Card Sketch May #4

Another great card sketch from Di Hickman

this week. I love this one. The shape was fantastic

& I couldn't wait to do it. Papers are MM Vintage Hip Gracen.

I made the folio closure with my circle punch & two pink doodlebug flower eyelets.

Greeting was printed in a red text box with the font bitch cakes.

I have had problems with the music on my blog. People are saying they can't come on here because of it, yet other people are having no problems. So I have changed my music supplier as I was having issues with the company I was using. Let me know of any problems. I don't want to have to stop using music as it is what makes life worth living.

Congratulations to Lewis, who got through on people's votes last night. I taped the second part of the program as I was too chicken to watch!!

DCM - Working 9-5

Well you got me singing Dolly Parton all day long today!!! I know this very well, although technically my hours are 7.30-3.30!!
Great dare this week & a really easy one.

Use office supplies, Jo said.

I adore office nic- naks seeing as though I do spend half my waking life in an office. I mustn't complain, as I actually got my dream job after waiting 19 years!! Yes, I wanted to work with computers & I wasn't allowed to do computer studies at school as the lessons fell on the same period as my maths. So, at the tender age of 27, I took myself off to Adult Education classes & got three years worth of qualifications. It took just 8 more years to get the job, but it was worth it. I might whinge sometimes about the hours, masses of work etc...everyone does, but it is great to be working as there were a few years I was ill & unable.
Items used; Graph paper (Free from a website) Staples. Paperclip. Mini bulldog clip & Ive used mini brads as noticeboard push pins (the real thing just a tad too sharp!)
The other paper used was K&Co. Dymo tape for the greeting.

A Couple of Sketch This Cards

Here are the cards for sketches week 12 & 13.
I though it was high time I got caught up!!!
Hey, wk 12, is made with offcuts from some bits my
team mates gave me. The circle is from the
papermania vintage caddy. Hey is white letter stickers from Asda.
Wish, wk13, is made form Icy Rainbow, HOTP paper pack.
A blue spotted brad & piece of blue ribbon.

DCM Mid Week Extra -Sketch

It was a bit hard to get a decent picture of this card tonight. The dark colours don't pick up well but I'm happy with them.
Another sketch this time for the mid week challenge, I love to work from sketches.
Papers are DCWV, Far East & Olde Worlde. Photo turns, Junkitz. Flowers, I bought from Crafty Carrot. Bling & brads, papermania. My favourite prayer/quote, Serenity.
I've been through quite a lot of change this past few weeks, it seemed fitting.

Art Journal wk 20 - CHANGE

Honestly, week 20 already. I am having such fun with this challenge & am so glad I stumbled upon it.
This weeks' prompt was surely hand picked for me. I swear that Emily is psychic!!
I am certain the journalling is clear on this card. Papers are from Icy Rainbow HOTP cardmaking pack. The tag is withint the pack. Brad is one of papermania's new pearl ones. The word change is using a stick on "c" & the rest of the word written in gelly roll pen.

I have made quite a few changes of late, small ones of little consequence, but which are life changing in tiny ways. you know the ones, using less of this, eating less of that & more of other...
Other changes have included fun stuff like changing my scrapping size & style. Changing my living space, just little touches to make it feel more homely. Then there are the financial changes that should help me live more comfortably. Lastly, changes to myself. Not so much physical changes, but long term changes that I needed. Confidence has been the most noticeable change in me lately. I could go on, but no doubt would bore you all senseless. I think hitting 40 truly suits me, now to get myself back into shape!!!!

One Little Word.........GO!

This is my page based on the word GO! The lighting isn't perfect & you can't see that the bottom subtitle is two tone, but never mind. I used font Times New Roman for the journal block & the sub title, which I created in wordart. The GO is pijpoj press out alphas. Bazzill cardstock in Amaretto, patterned paper is SEI, Granny's kitchen, suds.

The journalling in the block reads, Whenever I feel like a lazy Sunday, my ideal way to pass the time is window shopping, if the weather permits.
However, catalogues make great alternatives, should it not. I love to select the items I would buy, if I could afford them.
Recently I changed my colour scheme to make the new sofa fit in & these are a few of the items I would choose to blend in with the pieces I have already acquired.

Below is the magazine page I used for my design inspiration. I used a tip from Cathy Zielske about making journal blocks with white writing.


I am definately going through a phase. I am so loving 8.5x11. I am going through a FONT phase & I love playing around with them. Blame the fabulous Cathy Z for this, her books have been an enlightenment!! I can only hand cut titles & they tend to be time consuming. I am loving the process of putting the card through the printer & getting my title on the page for impact. However, I've been reading my newly acquired scrap resource book & Stacey Julian has done a piece on improving your handwriting, so watch this space!!!

DCM - Card from Scratch

This is my entry for this week's challenge. I am quite worn out & needed something simple to make.
I have a thing for butterflies at the moment & love this amethyt paper.
My antibiotics are now 24 hours in my system & the voice is slowly returning. Need to be set to cheer young Lewis on tomorrow night, can't quite see it happening will be more of a sqeak!!!
Several days ago now, I was asked for a photo by a lady, Ronda, that I know in the blog world. She said she would show me what she needed it for. I am so flattered!! She really is a lovely person, I'm proud to know you. Check out the link to her blog, Ronda.

Fed Up!

Yes, I am totally fed up!! I have an ear, nose & throat infection & have lost my voice. It is now day 3 & I am sick of having to whisper. I am a chatty little pixie, & love talking to people. I find it makes the day go by so much faster. Oh well, these antibiotics should soon work their magic.
I am behind on card challenges so here is one for the SketchThis Cards blog from about two weeks ago!! Uraban lily paper & a freebie stamp from Papercraft Inspirations. Quick & simple but the papers have all the colour they need in them.

The Second Aezine Layout on Beauty

This morning I uploaded one of my layouts for the Aezine, scroll down to see it. I couldn't get a decent photo of this second one & as the light it poor, I have had to do a close up of the tag which didn't show up to well with the words on.
Patterned papers are K&Co Somerset & Juliana. The title font Im not sure about!! I was sure I selected Lucida Hand in wordart & then chose the fill option & used another of my photos.
I chose to use circles as I love them, have already done an Aezine layout early this year using squares & I do not have a 2" square punch. Mine is not even 1 1/2" & it takes forever to cut them. I used one of the fiskars squeeze punches & it was a doddle!!!

Aezine challenge - Beauty

I was so inspired this week by the four challenges. I have done two pages but LO 2 is not photographed right so will have another shot & publish to the blog tomorrow.

I am writting down memories evoked from reading the Aezine & will do something with them everntually.

This layout covers two of the challenges,Beautiful Product challenge & Beautiful You.

I have to admit I struggled with this. Telling the world I am beautiful seems so out of my comfort zone, but I am glad I did it. Paper is BG Scarletts Letter, Secret. Graph paper was downloaded from a free site & printed directly onto the 8.5x11 cardstock. Title (font Viner Hand)was also printed directly onto the card, but the capital B is a rub on by Narratives Antique collection (gift from Pearl) The journalling is handwritten, another out of comfort zone for me, but the word beautiful was computer generated using font Gungsuh & in red to stand out.

Photo is another one of the professional ones taken for my bithday. I actually think I look beautiful in these pictures..lol!

DCM mid Wk Extra- Anniversary

I have left this card slightly open as I don't know anyone who is having an Anniversary, but weddings are in the air & it would suit both occasions. I'm all for multi purpose, me!!

Paper is Brenda Walton K&Co, Romanza pearlessence embossed left over from a mini book.

square of pearlised card cut with wavy scissors (I'm big on edges right now). Spotted pink card & white square of vellum, origin forgotten. Jelly word from EZ Success. First card I've made since the last DCM dare!!

Change Does You Good!!

Over the Easter Weekend, I wanted to craft as much as possible in between visiting friends & resting. I fancied a total change from all the usual things I do & made myself this snazzy clipboard!
I kept the clip silver as I love them. The papers were in a £1 kit from the Poundshop, which caught my eye while buying the obligatory teabags! The "Paula" is made from Machins air drying clay & painted pale lilac. The centre of the blossom is an upside down bottlecap filled with beads & stuck together with Anita's 3D Gloss. The mini clipboard with my pic is Rob & Bob Studio. Happy is a chipboard word given to me by my teamie Rach, made by Heidi Swapp. Blossom 35p from Dunhelm.
Bubble words from a sheet of girl things, £1.49 from The Works. The pink spotted section is covered in pva glue to make it shiny so post it notes stick. The pockets were made to house notepads , the large pocket is 3D to allow room for quite a thick stack of paper. The very slim pocket houses a bazzill homecrafted clipboard complete with mini pink clip from any good stationery shop. Mine came in a tub of 100 mixed for £1 from Poundshop.
I had tremendous fun making it & hope it inspires others to have a go!!

Art Journal Week 19 - Suprise!!!

Fabulous prompt this week. I had to make it quick while the inspiration was fresh in my mind.
Spotted paper is Dena's Closet. Hearts cut using my Ellison Big Shot, (Eliot) using Dovecraft papers, Amethyst. It documents the most fab suprise I had this year when my work mates did a collection to pay for my make up (air brushed) & nails (french manicure). My friend Louise then took me to a paid professional photo shoot. It was a day to remember. My sister, Tracy send gorgoeus flowers. We went for a meal after the shoot & it was such an amazing experience. Something I will always remember.
There was money left over from the collection to pay for half the photos I selected & I got a large photo free with the sitting.

First May Di Hickman Card Sketch

Boy did I have fun trying to get a photograph of this one. Apart from the fact I picked such pastel blue colours, the silver metal flower wouldn't stop throwing light back off itself & in the end I had to put it right in the window sideways & turn off the flash!!!
Love these papers, K&Co La Boutique. Flower papermania. Greeting stamp from Lakeland Ltd. Blue ink versamark. I inked the paper edges & the card itself so they would stand out more.
Thanks again Di for another fabulous sketch & I have another to make for the sketch this card team as I didn't get last weeks done!!! But I am enjoying the making & that is far more improtant. I have also completed a third 8.5x11 layout & will share the two later on this week, although there isn't a great deal left of this week!!!!!!

DCM 3 little things

The mid week extra from the DCM is three little things. Stamp, metal & chipboard.
I was commissioned to make a card for a male for tomorrow so thought I'd use this challenge to design one.
Metal is the red spotted brad. Chipboard is the painted brown flower with small red brad centre & the stamp came free with my PI subscription. I used Urban lily papers, cut some of the circles twice to give 3D & put on with foam but it doesn't show in picture. Dymo tape spells out a second greeting. I inked the lower half of the stamp to stamp under the blue circle with the greeting.

Aezine Challenge is back!!

I am so glad that Ali Edwards has begun setting the challenges & sending out the Aezine as it does give some direction.
The challange was to pare down your supplys. Well this is impossible. As a realtively new scrapper, I LACK supplies!! I have had kind people send me supplys for birthdays & then there was the orange stuff my teamies gave me for the challenge I did on the forum Bumbleberry Cafe.
I never have stuff to hand for new projects. I am very slowly building a collection of papers & embellishments but as I am on a very low wage, they are not top of my list. I am also a card maker so a lot of scraps are kept solely for this purpose. I only buy mulit purpose stuff & carefully chosen paper.
We were challenged to make a layout from something we haven't used in a while. I chose metal tags & decorative edged scissors. I have never scrapped 8.5 x 11 before so this is my very first attempt. The title is hand cut using computer font Lucida Hand & printed onto silver pearlescent paper. I also used metal photo turns which I have but hardly ever use. I had to paint silver as mine were all pastel (probably why i don't use them often!!) Papers are from amethyst pack. Clock face was given to me by Gillian.


I made these embellishments myself as I had nothing suitable for a boy in black & white. I simply typed the words on my computer in different fonts & selected black text boxes so the writing turned white. I cut them into stips & stuck them into a rectangle metal tag. I then used a star tag to stick over a piece of silver paper cut into a star.
I am very pleased with how this page turned out & made a second one about myself based on a Cathy Zielske design from her first book. I will share it later this week. Getting a decent photo is proving hell on earth!!!

Art Journal Week 18 - Nature

My card is made very simply from handmade onion paper, skeleton leaves & a dried Pansy. Using dymo tape for the journalling. another fabulous prompt & I did it quickly as I am on a crafting roll this weekend after not wanting to make anything for days.

This is the gorgeous card made by Ruth (mamaluke) that I couldn't post yesterday.

A given card & a challenge with the bits!!!

I recieved a rather gorgeous card in the post from Ruth (mamaluke) & it really touched me. She also sent along the left over bits from it & said "Im sure you can make something from them."

Here is the card I made using the fabulous sketch from Di Hickman. I have rediscovered edged scissors. I had originally uploaded the fab card Ruth sent me, but as I have begun typing this the card has gone!!!! Good old Mr Blogger playing silly beggars again!

So a huge Thank You to Di Hickman for another great sketch & to Ruth for these bits & pieces, I hope you like what I did with them. Tomorrow I will re upload the card so you can see the card she sent me, but if you pop along to her blog you might be able to guess which one for yourselves.

Daring Cardmakers With Wings

This card was made tonight for the latest card dare. Any card you want ,but it must have wings!

Well I call that a marvellous challenge as "wings" conjures up all kind of notions from fairy princesses to angels, butterflies & even planes for the gent in your life!!!!

Mine is just some Amethyst paper with two 3D butterflies on it to match the one printed on the paper.

This card was made over a year ago & I have never shared it. I have it stood on permanent display on my bookcase. The papers were handmade & vellum. The butterflies were stamped onto vellum & then to give them a really good 3D effect, I painted them with a thin coat of Anitas 3D gloss. As it dried it pulled the wings up so they look as if they are in flight.

Thank You to some very special ladies out there for your kindness & support. You each know who you are. You are lovely people & I am honoured to have you in my life sharing this wonderful craft with me.

I do love to scrap & make my cards, but being in a team is fab & we have great fun between ourselves. It was just good to join forces with other teams on UKS & light heartedly compete for points. It gave our creative edge a boost up the bum!!

I am pleased to report our points have been acknowledged this month & I have heard some other teams also went through the same as ours.

I received a rather lovely little package from Ruth (mamaluke) in the post today & you will be able to see what I do with the contents VERY SOON.x

DCM Mid Week Extra - Beauty

Nothing I was working on would come together.This really is the best I can do. Papers are K&Co daisies are stamped with See d's & coloured with chalks. Beads are glued in the centres.
I really am so tired at the minute. work is manic as we head into another Bank Holiday Weekend & I only hope it all settles down by the end of this month as I lack energy to do anything once I come home!!!
Its National Scrapbooking day on Saturday & I hope to make at least one page.
However one of the reasons I am less enthusiastic these days to create is because my team mates & I have submitted our points several months in a row on the UKS forum & yet each month we have never even been entered in & our team has not featured. We are all rather tired of it now & I for one can't be bothered with it anymore.
I have quite enough on my plate with being poorly & having to work full time with no one to come home to.
I love scrapping but the challenges & raising points added a bit of fun to it all.

Art Journal Week 17 My Bedroom

The prompt couldn't have been more apt this week. I moved into this flat 9 years ago today so it is only fitting that I include a photo of my favourite room in the house. I have not decorated as I loved the colour scheme so much. Everywhere else I have made my mark!!! The journal strips say it all! Thank You Emily for such a fantastic challenge & for being psychic!!

I made this card about my bedroom using the colours & patterns from the wallpaper pictured below. I used pale lilac card to cover the back of my playing card & used swirls & dots & jacobean type flowers to match the style of flowers in the room. I am particularly proud of these curtains as I made them from a king sized flat bedsheet & two pillowcases for the vallance. The window was just too long to have curtains to the sill but at 105 inches long would have cost me a fortune to buy. These babies cost £17 in BHS sale, for the sheet & pillowcases, 5 years ago.

Di Hickman's Card Sketch No.4

Very plain & simple card this one. I used some paper from HOTP Creative Cardmaker's Icy Rainbow pack. 3 tiny squares of silver pearlescent paper, 3 papermania flower 3D buble stickers & some silver peel off lines & words Best Wishes.
Sometimes plain is best. I agonised over whether to put anything in the bottom section of the card, but decided against it.