My Crafty Life

We Will Remember Them

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:14:00 +0000

To all the troops that have served past & present. It is time for us to put our differences aside & support the troops that are still giving their lives so we can live without fear. I found this image on the Canadian War Museum website. x Clare x

My First Attempt - Promarker Challenge

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:13:00 +0000

I am finally beginning to accumulate some promarkers so I thought it was time I took the plunge & enter the Passion for Promarkers challenge. I am still having to mix mediums at the moment to get the best look but I am getting there. The challenge this week is any colours but they have given a sketch to follow. I decided to combine it with the Digital Ink.Co challenge which is to use a quote. Well I have a box full of quotes & phrases from a K&Co TSV that I bought a couple of years ago.

I used a couple of Papermania Xmas papers from last years collection & cut the circle from the white glitter paper that I had put through my Swiss Dots folder. The image is from Digital Ink.Co & is just adorable. The flourish is a Sizzix flower that I just use the stem from. I have added gems to give it a touch of bling. The quote is on a layer of white card that I chalked & then bugged. I chalked round the quote & added some more gems. The flower is made up from The green leaves & white petals of a Papermania poinsetta & I added a red flower that I got from a pack the last time I was in Dunelm Mills.

I added a block of white glitter paper to the inside with another flourish. The other side has a sheet of HOTP with a piece of white paper that I took my corner punch to. x Clare x

Pens Used :
Tombow : N55
MLPII : 21,82
Aqua Promarkers : Light Sienna, Cadmium Red
Promarkers : Denim Blue, Cardinal Red, Ivory, Grass, Pastel Pink

Pollycraft Challenge #27 - Paula's Sketch

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:59:00 +0000

I am normally a right stickler for getting these sketches bang on but I just couldn't get all the elements to fit on my card this time but I love the result anyway. Paula's sketch was just lovely & I decided I would use my Sharing Sherbert stamp & make it into a Xmas image.

I used a Papermania Xmas tree paper from last year & added a circle of Rusty Pickle's Mittens & Snowflakes. I chalked a piece of white hammer card with blue chalk & layered my Sharing Sherbert image onto this. The flower is 2 Prima Painterley Petals with a opal brad which I have added Star Dust Stickles to. The ribbon is some burgandy organza & I attached a Dovecraft Jewelled Charm to it.I think I will be doing this a bit more often as it makes a nice change from adding a bow. The sentiment is from the DH Xmas Kit. I have added some stickles to the wings, the top of her socks & around the sentiment. The star has a little Bling gem added to it.

Here is a close up of the image.

I only had one sheet of the 8x8 christmas tree paper so I cut down a sheet of the 12x12 version for the inside of the card. I added some Glitterations & gems to the right of the card as the corners needed "something".

Pens Used :
Promarkers : Blush, Cardinal Red, Denim Blue, Pastel Pink, Ivory
Aqua Promarkers : Gold Ochre, Light Sienna, Prussian Blue, Sap Green, Cadmium Red

MAWTT#20 & Extended DT Call

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:14:00 +0000

Hi Everyone

Unfortunately Clare & I are on our own this week on the DT. Hazel has still not got any internet & poor Heidi has gone down with this horrible cold/flu bug & is in bed. So I hope you will all come & support us this week.
Due to these problems we have decided to extend the DT call for another week. So please keep spreading the word.
We decided this week to not give you a sketch but get you to choose your favourite sketch from previous challenges. However we would like you to use the theme.... Remembrance, in honour of all our armed forces past & present.

I decided to use a previous sketch I had created for Challenge #15. I had to add another square to the card to get the 3 bears in but apart from that stuck to the sketch. I used the Military Bear set available from Cuddly Buddly to create this card & just added gems, ribbon & the sentiment from my stash. x Clare x

Bev's Mini Candy

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:04:00 +0000

Be quick to enter Bev's mini candy. She is giving away a Gillian Roberts stamp. Ends tonight xx Clare x

Sunday Sketch & Stamp #14

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:23:00 +0000

Evening Everyone

Hope you are all keeping warm while watching the fab fireworks that are around tonight. As you can tell I am at home. Hubby has come down with a migraine so is in bed with a bowl of Chicken Soup, poor thing.
The sketch over at Sunday Sketch & Stamp has been created by Ger. It is a great sketch as it's simple yet effective. I have used it to create a plate card tonight.

I cut the main circle from some Bazzil card that has a bit of glittery effect to it but I am not sure of the name as the label has been cut off from previous use. The green paper is a Disney paper called Tinker Bell in flight & the blue paper is Blue Meadow Stripes by Craft Creations. The green wavy ribbon paper is from.... yes you have guessed it.... my Design House Xmas Kit. The hedgehog... don't you just love him is from a set of stamps by Design House called Woodland Capers. These stamps are just such great value for money. You get about 48 stamps on one sheet for £14.99. Here is a close up of my little hedgehog. I have coloured him in using a mixture of pens that I have listed at the bottom of this post. The 3 gems are from my stash. x Clare x

Pens Used :
Aqua Promarkers : Sepia, Light Sienna
Tombow : 977
MLPII : 18, 72, 82
Whispers : Yellow, Brown, Skin Tone

Allsorts Challenge........ Weddings

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:56:00 +0000

Hi Everyone

Hope the weather isn't too cold where you are today. The sun is shining here today & we are hoping it won't rain. This post is a bit short & sweet this morning I'm afraid.
I thought I would get a card done for the Allsorts Challenge this week. Having been in both Christmas & Halloween mode it was nice to tackle something different. There challenge this week is to make something for a wedding. Well this has come at the right time for me as my son's RE class are holding a pretend wedding next month & guess who he volunteered to do the invites lol!!! Well I didn't make an invite for this challenge I made a card but it should get me in the right frame of mind.

I have used Ann's Paper Art pattern a445 which is available from Sam. The decoupage is by Craft Creations & will be available from my shop soon. I added a touch of Star Dust Stickles to her veil. I have left the inside of this card blank as I will decorate when I have someone to send it too x Clare x

Sketch Saturday - Sketch #75

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:51:00 +0000

Well I managed to get a card made over the weekend but had to wait for some sunlight to get a decent piccie today. I am still suffering from tiredness after this cold so I am struggling to get things done at the moment.

I used the sketch to create a Xmas card for a friend who has asked for 15 to be made. I make them for her every year so she can send them to her family & close friends. She has been a crafter all her life but now suffers with arthritus so can't do much now.

I rotated the sketch & created a waterfall using my Xmas Kit. The backing paper & sentiment are also from the kit. I have backed the waterfall onto white glitter paper . The green paper is from HOTP & the gold & green ribbon are from my stash, as are the snowflakes.
I haven't decorated the inside on this card as I will be adding a printed insert x Clare x

MAWTT Challenge #19 - My Challenge & DT Call

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:55:00 +0000

Hi Everyone

I am sorry for posting this a day late but I am having an absolute nightmare with my internet. I am running my mobile phone as a modem as I haven't had any broadband for a week now aarrghh!!!! Anyway this week is my turn to create the sketch & challenge & I have to say the girls have come up trumps yet again. I have included the theme of embossing. The prize this week........ wait for it..... is 2 Design Team spots. So what are you waiting for.......

Here is the card I created

I have used some new goodies that arrived in my shop this week. They can all be found here The image, backing paper & sentiment are a set called Tumbling Tizzy. I have layered a sheet of white glitter paper between the two which I ran through my bug using my Floral Fantasy folder. I added acetate to the centre. The flower was created using a Prima Painterley Petal, a Papermania flower & a rose from my stash. I added a brad behind the rose to attach the jump rings & the charm is off a kiddies charm bracelet that I found in a pound store. The glitter flower is from my stash & I have added a couple of flat back pearls. You can find these here
The inside of the card have again all come from the Tumbling Tizzy set which I am sure is going to used again & again x Clare x

Cards For Men DT Call

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:26:00 +0000

Wow I have only just been told about this blog tonight so I had to act fast. What a great idea though.. I will definately be following even if I don't make the DT. Here is my entry

I cut 3 different sized circles using my Creative Memories circle cutter. The base layer is white card, the next layer is from my HOTP Xmas stack & the top layer is from my HOTP Crafters stack. The mini is a decoupage sheet that is available here. The Happy Birthday sentiment is a D&D diecut message. I have used a sheet of scrapbooking card from my stash to create the stand using a template from a friend of mine. I have decorated the back as well but it is pretty plain so have not shown it here xx Clare x

MAWTT Challenge #18 - Hazel's Challenge

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:43:00 +0000

Hi Everyone

I hope none of you are suffering with this horrible cold/flu bug. If you are I can definately sympathise. We had an outstanding number of entries over at MAWTT last week & some amazing creations so thank you to you all. The winner of my prize has been announced & I will be sending it out shortly.

Right onto this week's challenge.... Hazel has set a sketch with the challenge of using a backing paper containing text. Here is my card for this week....

If you saw my easel card the other day you will know how much I am loving these papers. They are a freebie from Creative Cottage (link in sidebar) & are just such fun. The white circle has been chalked & I thought this gave a great dark cloud effect. The image & sentiments are rub ons from my stash.

I added some more of the orange paper onto the inside with another of the cat rub ons & used the sketch again on the right of the card.

It would be great to see all your fab work again this week & don't forget you don't need a blog to enter. x Clare x

Marianne's 1st Blog Candy

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:59:00 +0000

Pop over to Marianne's Blog to have a chance to win her fab 1st blog candy. You have until 31st October to enter. I will also be adding a link in my sidebar to make it easier for you to find. x Clare x

Pollycraft.......Sunday Sketch & Stamp

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:59:00 +0000

I started this card last night but have gone down with this cold/throat infection thing that is going round so have only just finished it this afternoon. I used the sketch from Sunday Sketch & Stamp which has been designed by my good blogging buddy Clare & took the theme from Pollycraft. The colours they have asked you to use were Tangerine, Turquoise & Chocolate. This is a new thing for me using a colour theme but I think I have managed it ok.

The paper is Shimmering by Urban Lily. The flower is Prima & I have added Star Dust Stickles to it. The snowflake panel is again from my Xmas Kit & the snowflake from my stash. I cut the oval on my bug & coloured the edge with a promarker. The image is a Cherry Kisses freebie from Paula. I added White Opal Liquid Pearls & Star Dust Stickles. The sentiment has been coloured with a Whispers pen. The gems are Kanban Bling.

Here is a close up (my lad Julian took this photo)

I took the Urban Lily paper through to the inside & added another image of Cherry Kisses. Don't you just love her! I added another oval using my bug x Clare x

Pens Used :
Tombow : 977
Whispers : Turquoise
Promarkers : Blush, Pastel Yellow, Orange, Ivory
Aqua Promarker : Sepia, Gold Ochre

Allsorts.... Secret Crafter

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:51:00 +0000

Well I managed yet another card & I have definately got the bug again I think. This card is for the Allsorts Challenge which has a sketch with a Monochromatic theme. I am glad I don't have to write that too often. The challenge this week has been sponsored by the lovely Nikki of Bunny Zoe Crafts. The second challenge this card fits is Secret Crafter Challenge which is Dig Deep...... use a forgotten stamp.

The stamp is from Docrafts & I must have bought it 3 or 4 years ago & this is the 1st time I have used it on a card. How bad is that? lol!!!!! The backing paper is lilac snow. I have added a bit of colour round the edge of the image & some glamour dust to the snowflakes. He has then been layered onto a sheet of Papermania snowflake paper & some purple paper from my stash. The snowflake ribbon is again from the DHP Xmas Kit I have added some Bling gems. The flowers & flourish in the corner are peel offs & the sentiment is again from the Xmas Kit.

I kept the inside fairly simple by bringing through the papers & adding another image. x Clare x

Pens Used :
Tombow : 623

Just Magnolia/Sketch Saturday

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:04:00 +0000

Good Morning Everyone. The weather is lovely & sunny although it's not meant to last. Luckily over at Just Magnolia the challenge this week is Bright & Zingy. Now if you have seen a few of my cards you will know I don't tend to use very many bright colours but I thought I would give it a whirl. Besides whats the point of a challenge if it doesn't take you out of your comfort zone. I teamed this with the sketch over at Sketch Saturday this week which is sponsered by Daisy May Digistamps.

I have coloured Tilda using my Promarkers. I am not sure which Tilda this is as it was sent tome a long time ago. The dotty paper is Naughty & Nice, Snowflakes & Mittens by Rusty Pickle. The flower paper is Tinkerbell in Flight by Sandylion. I have backed both of these onto a dark green card from my stash. The paper ribbons are from my Design House Papercrafts Xmas Kit. The flower is from Prima. Gems & Sentiment from my stash.

Here is a close up of my Tilda

I took the sketch & papers through to the inside of the card.
x Clare x

Pens Used:
Promarkers : Ivory, Blush, Apricot
Aqua Promarkers : Gold Ochre, Light Sienna, Sap Green, Cadmium Red

Yet Another Card from Me

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:20:00 +0000

Yes I am still making the effort. This time my card is for the Cute Card Thursday Challenge. Their challenge this week is """Spook Fest""""". Well I don't normally make Halloween cards as it has never been a big thing in my family but I do love the colour combo of orange & black. Must be something to do with the fact I worked at Harley Davidson who have the same colour combo. I have created an Easel Card for this challenge & the template was provided by a good cyber friend of mine Penny. You should check out her sites as she has the most brilliant templates & printables all for free.

Here is the picture of the Easel Card closed. I have used the Boo backing paper which is this month's freebie at Creative Cottage. Onto this I have layered a piece of white card & added a rub on from Royal & Langnickel. I love these rub ons as they glow flourescent green in the dark. If I can I will try & get a photo but I'm not sure if I can get it to work.

Here is the card opened up. It stands up which is great & you can hide a message like I did with the Boo. The orange paper is again from the Spooktacular kit & the BOO is another rub on. The brad is from my stash. x Clare x

Stamps & Smiles - SASSC36

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:17:00 +0000

I am determind to get more challenges done again as I seem to never get the time anymore. So last night I sat at my desk & after trying two other images finally created a card using William again. I can see this stamp set getting an amazing amount of use.

I love the sketches on Stamps & Smiles as they are not complicated sketches but you can make the most incredible cards with them.

Here is the result of their latest sketch.......

I have started using up a lot of an old Xmas TSV that I bought about 3 years ago. It was a HOTP one & the green paper, ribbon, bell & sentiment are all from this set. The spotty paper is a magazine freebie. William has been coloured using a mixture of pens. William has then been layered onto card from my paper scrap box. I had to get hubby's help to create the flower... well you do need them sometimes.... I got him to drill a hole through my snowflake so I could add the brad to it. The brad is from Dovecraft, the 2 flowers are from Prima's Painterly Petals & the charm was created using jump rings from Bunny Zoe. The gems around the card are by Kanban & Papermania.

I kept the inside of the card fairly simple but it gives a great effect. I have to apologise for the photo of the inside... I was going for a nice diagonal effect but it just looks like I have taken a wonky photo lol!!! x Clare x

Pens Used:
Tombow : N55
Whipers : Bright Red
MLPII : 21, 76, 82, 102
Promarkers : Ivory, Pastel Yellow
Aqua Promarkers : Naples Yellow, Gold Ochre, Sepia, Blue Prussian

MAWTT Challenge #17 - Clare's Challenge

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:42:00 +0000

Good Morning Everyone. I hope you are coping with the change in the weather that we have been having.

We have a fabulous Guest Designer at MAWTT for the next 2 weeks, so make sure you pop over to see the fab creation from Susie Sunshine.

This week's challenge has given me a real headache lol!!!! Clare decided to not provide a sketch this week .... oh no!!!! She then decided that we were to make anything BUT a card lol!!!! Double WHAMMY!!!! I am afraid there are quite a few piccies for this post so here it goes........

I have used a memory box that I got from Hobbycraft. I covered it using an Encore ink pad in Metallic Purple. The top of the box has an image from a Diecut set by Kanban. The gems & flower is from my stash.

Here is a close up of the top of the box

The images in the photo slots are all taken from the Design House Papercrafts Xmas Kit which is available from my webshop I have also added 2 lengths of paper ribbon which is also from the same kit.

Here is another side of the box. The backing paper is again by DHP & is called Lilac Snow.

I just adore the face on this kitten. He is just sooo cute

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my project this week. Please take the time out to visit the blogs of the other members of the DT. Don't forget that you have until next Wednesday to enter this week's challenge & you don't need a blog to enter this challenge x Clare x

Sketch Saturday - Sketch by Ria

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:06:00 +0000

Evening Everyone. For once I thought I might try & get a sketch card done tonight. I just got these fab new stamps in stock & just had to have a play with them. I chose the sketch from Sketch Saturday with the added theme of Pets. Well I know not many people have donkeys as pets but I know there are definately some of you out there.

I made my card from this gorgeous Lilac Snow card & layered it with HOTP papers. The image is William by Design House Papercrafts & he is available from my shop. I coloured him with a mixture of Aqua Promarkers, Promarkers, Tombow & MLPII. He is layered onto some navy card from my paper scrap box. The ribbon, flowers & brads are from my stash. x Clare x

Pens Used
Tombow : N55
MLPII : 21, 76
Aquas : Sepia, Cobalt Teal, Gold Ochre, Sap Green, Cadmium Red, Light Sienna
Promarkers : Dusky Pink, Ivory,

MAWTT Challenge #16

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:25:00 +0000

Last Week we had a great response to my sketch & no stamping theme. Thanks to all of you who entered. This week it is Heidi's turn & she has created a fantastic sketch & would like you to do some Paper Piecing on your card. I had never tried this before but I think I have got it right.....

I have used a lot of stickles on my card this week but unfortunately the camera doesn't seem to have picked it up. The papers are all from my HOTP Xmas stack from a couple of years ago. I used my Swiss Dots folder on the white card. I added Stickles to all the visible dots. The image is from a set of stamps called Coming Home by Design House Papercrafts. I just love their designs & I am gradually adding their stock to my website so be sure to pop over & have a look. I coloured the image with my Aqua Promarkers. I layered the cats & the wreath on the door. I added stickles to the doorstep & the snow. The sentiment is from the DHP Xmas Kit which I have bordered again with stickles. The 3 gems are from my stash xx Clare x

Pens Used
Aqua Promarkers: Permanent Green, Light Sienna, Cadmium Red, Gold Ochre, Lamp Black, Sepia.
Promarkers: Ivory

MAWTT Challenge #15 - My Sketch

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:25:00 +0000

Well I can't believe we are already into October. I haven't been able to do much blogging over the past week as I am busy working on my website. Hopefully this will be finished by next week. Thank you for your wonderful creations last week. It was great to see the lovely sparkling creations.

This week it's my turn to come up with the sketch & challenge & I have really put the girls through their paces this week. Don't forget to check out the blog to see their great creations. We had another fab card from our Guest Designer Erin. Thanks for your great cards over the last 2 weeks.

This week's prize is for another guest designer spot for 2 weeks so make sure you get your card in by 8pm next wednesday.

Right this week's sketch is a nice easy one....

However your challenge this week is to create a card not using any STAMPS lol!!!! Here is my creation.........

I have used a freebie paper from one of the magazines. The images, bp, card ribbon & sentiment are all from the new Diecut Xmas kit that I have available to purchase here. I added 3 gems from my stash at the top of the card.

For some extra sparkle I have added some stickles to the outside of the sentiment.

I look forward to visiting all your blogs & seeing your fab creations this week. xx Clare x

MAWTT Challenge #14 - Strictly Sparkling

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:40:00 +0000

Ok Girls this week over at MAWTT we want to see you all sparkling. We want glitter in your hair, we want sparkles in hubby's tea, we want bling on the kids lol!!!! Ok maybe not, but we want to see plenty of it on your cards. Hazel has come up with a fabulous sketch this week & the DT including our fabulous GD Erin have come up with some fab creations. Just click on the links in the sidebar.

Now for some bling!!!!!!!

I just couldn't resist using this glamour girl for my image this week. The decoupage is called "Going to the Ritz"... & is available here . I don't think you can get more glam than that. I have used stickles on her jewels for some sparkle. The paper was a freebie from a magazine & I have added Kanban bling to all the scallops. The ribbon is from my stock & the sentiment is a peel off from my stash.

Here is a closer look at the sentiment

I have decorated the inside of my card but it was too late last night to start setting up my photo booth so will sort it out today.

Don't forget, you don't need a blog to enter our challenges. Just click here & look in our sidebar for our email address & your card will be loaded onto the blog for you. Challenge closes at 8pm (UK time) on Weds 30th September. xx Clare x

Challenge #69 Fall into Autumn

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:34:00 +0000

The challenge at ASFOS is to create a card using Autumn Colours. I won last week's challenge at Pollycraft so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this digistamp. I have layered it onto BG paper & a green embossed card. The circle paper is by Urban Lily. I just adore their scrapbook papers. I added a gold ribbon & bow from my stock & added a Pepermania adhesive glitter genm to each end. The flower is made up of a Prima Painterley Petal, a Papermania flower & a sunflower from my stock.
I cut out another digistamp removing her from the book & just coloured her hair. I layered her up the same as the front of the card. I then layered the papers on the right. x Clare x

Blog Candy at Digital-Ink Co

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:03:00 +0000

You can win this gorgeous blog candy over at Digital-Ink Co. It is open until October 18th so there is plenty of time to enter. But be warned you have to answer a question to enter so be prepared to work for it lol!!!!! x Clare x

Sorry Its Late

threadbare01@gmail.com (thread-bare) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:58:00 +0000

Due to some personal issues my card is late this week but never mind. Thanks to everyone that joined in with us last week... we had another great response to Heidi's sketch. Let's hope Clare W gets just as many xx

Clare W has chosen a gorgeous sketch this week which I know I am going to use time & time again. Her theme this week was Birthday Card. I have combine it with the Pollycraft challenge which is Black, White & one other colour.

Here is the result.....

I decided to use brown as my own other colour. Instead of using a Pollycraft image this week I decided to use a background paper. This is from the Chocolate & Blue Doodle Dreams Papers. I bugged 2strips of white card using my swiss dots folder. I had a play with the piece of black card & took a piece of sanding paper to it. Apart from it making a mess it did soften the edges of the card & give it a slight distressed look. Not half as distressed as I was at the mess it had made on my cutting mat lol!!! I coloured in Bubbles using my Aquas. I added a 2nd layer of flower above his head just to give it a bit of depth. The flower in the corner has had a brad added to it. The ribbon is from my stash & the sentiment is a D&D diecut message.

I didn't have time to decorate the inside of my card this week, but I am sure I will finish it off properly later. x Clare xx

Pens Used:
Aqua Promarker : Sepia