Bring on 2019!

Hi everyone. 2019 is nearly upon us and, like many of you, I've been thinking about what I want to achieve in the year ahead. One resolution is definitely to craft more and to get my blog up and running again after 2 months away- I've missed it and the fabulous inspiration I get from the blogging community.

No better way to end the year then, than with a card to welcome in 2019.

I have a full tutorial for this card on the Bubbly Funk blog today, so hope you will  check it out http://bubblyfunk.co.uk/blog/2018/12/31/happy-new-year-2/

We are off to a party tonight- luckily it is family friendly and the boys usually make it to midnight. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year, however you are celebrating x

Trick or Treat

Hi everyone. Halloween (and Half Term) week is here and today I'm sharing this Trick or Treat tag on the Bubbly Funk blog.

We have a new stencil release on 1st November and I've used two of the new stencils on my tag, along with some Simple Stories Vintage Halloween embellishments and a Hobbycraft ribbon.

To create the background I used my go to Halloween Distress Ink colours.

You can read more about my tag on the Bubbly Funk blog today  http://bubblyfunk.co.uk/blog/2018/10/29/trick-or-treat/

We're looking forward to hosting a Halloween party on Wednesday as well as a spot of Trick or Treating. Luckily my boys understand only to knock on doors where there are pumpkins- I know Halloween isn't for everyone but lots of people on our little estate join in.

Have a lovely day xxx

Autumn Colours

Hi everyone. Back to blogging today with a new project for Bubbly Funk, inspired by beautiful Autumn colours.

You can read all about my card on the Bubbly Funk blog today http://bubblyfunk.co.uk/blog/2018/10/09/autumn-colours/

I do have a terrible confession to make though- I only realised it was my turn on the blog today this morning! Life really has got in the way of craft lately but I am determined to get myself organised and share more often.

Thank you for visiting today. Cathy xxx

The cutest Christmas stamp

Hi everyone. I think I have found the cutest Christmas stamp of the year and it's this Dovecraft Christmas dog stamp.

It certainly was really popular at my Demo on Sunday (and at only 99p a real bargain).

I made this card at my demo and was really pleased with it so kept it! I made another to leave at the store of course.

This triangle gatefold card is made from a 21cm x 21cm piece of pink card. The papers are from the 10cm Paper Addicts Magic Moments paper pad. They are lovely papers and the size is great for batch making cards. They'd also be great for kids to make some cards for their friends.

I picked out details of the stamp with Dovecraft Metallic Markers and just finished off with some gems.

We have another busy sporty weekend ahead but looking forward to a BBQ on Sunday. I hope the weather will be ok. Have a lovely weekend when it comes. Cathy xxx

Bubbly Funk Christmas Mermaid

Hi everyone. I have a day off (until a spot of tutoring at 3.30 anyway!) and it's nice to have some chill time after a crazy few days. The boys are settled back at school and have had a great few days. The eldest was voted House Captain by other pupils and then won Player of the Week at a rugby tournament. The youngest keeps getting lots of house points and seems to be wowing his teacher with his maths skills.

I had a great demo on Sunday and one of the most popular things were the new Dovecraft stamps. I've used one on a Bubbly Funk project today.

I used Spectrum Noir sparkle pens to colour the stamp. They are a real go to for me at Christmas as they are really glittery.

You can read all about my project, including how I made the background, on the Bubbly Funk blog http://bubblyfunk.co.uk/blog/2018/09/11/christmas-mermaid/

I'm going to catch up on a few things, and maybe step into the craft room, before going to have my hair done! Hope you have a great day. Cathy xxx

Christmas demo time!

Hi everyone. The children are finally back to school today. I will miss them but it will be great to get back to routine.

This Sunday sees my first Christmas Trimcraft Demo at The Range in Andover. I have started making samples:

This is a triangle gatefold card made using the Helz Cuppleditch Christmas Village collection. It's a really interesting but easy card fold- I followed this tutorial by fellow Trimcraft demonstrator Louise at Iced Images https://youtu.be/zwXHlILOP44

This is probably my favourite Christmas collection so far this year and I've bought it for myself as well.

I'll be sharing another demo card tomorrow. In the meantime you can find details of all my upcoming demos on the Trimcraft Demonstration Dates page of my blog.

Have a lovely day. Cathy xxx

Hibiscus Bloom

Hi everyone. I've been continuing to enjoy the summer holiday with my boys. We spent the weekend in London, visiting the RAF museum, Thorpe Park and Stamford Bridge in our three days. It was tiring but lots of fun.

Today I'm sharing a card made for Bubbly Funk using a stencil from the shop, with Distress Oxides and Nuvo products.

Full details of the card are on the Bubbly Funk blog http://bubblyfunk.co.uk/blog/2018/08/21/hibiscus-bloom/

I'm working this morning then this afternoon we are off to see Christopher Robin at the cinema. I will get some time later to catch up with blogs too. Have a lovely day xxx

Free Spirit

Hi everyone. It comes as a bit if a shock to actually have something to blog about again. I really have barely entered the craft room lately. I'm not sure whether to blame the hot weather, the holiday (including a fabulous week in Kos) or the weeks of sport on TV. However, it did feel good to get back to crafting after such a long break.

Today's card is for the Bubbly Funk blog:

I've used the Free Spirit stamp set from Scrapberrys, which is in the Bubbly Funk shop. The feathers are stamped in Distress Oxides (Wilted Violet and Picked Raspberry) and the sentiment in Versafine.

It's rare for me to do one layer stamping but I like this card! 

I am looking forward to making blog visits this weekend to see what you have all made while I've been absent. Cathy xxx

Gorjuss Girl

Hi everyone. As some as you already know, I have managed to fall over and sprain my ankle this week. It's starting to heal but is really frustrating as I can't drive or move very far. Thank you to all those who have sent good wishes. Sadly I have had to cancel my demo planned for Sunday so it is doubly annoying!

Today I'm sharing a card made for Bubbly Funk, which can be seen on their blog today:

Caroline has lots of Gorjuss stamps in the Bubbly Funk shop at www.bubblyfunk.co.uk. This one is called The Dreamer. The lovely pink and black flowers are from the shop too.

I began by colouring my image using Copic markers. I really like this pretty pink combo and I'm pleased with her hair too. It was definitely a fun image to colour.

The papers and sentiment I have used are from the new Dovecraft Premium Folkland collection. I absolutely love this collection, the papers are gorgeous, and this pink and black colour scheme is fabulous.

Thank you for visiting today. Have a great weekend. If you are in the middle of football fever, lets hope for an England victory to cheer! Cathy x

To the Beach

Hi everyone. I'm glad to say my big boy is back home after his French adventure. He had a wonderful time, although he's been a bit poorly since and had to have a day off school yesterday. I must admit I enjoyed his company.

Today I'm sharing a scrapbook page made for Bubbly Funk and on their blog today at www.bubblyfunk.co.uk/blog

The picture of my youngest son was taken six years ago at Swanage. It's one of my favourite pictures of him as a baby.

I've made the page using Graphic 45 By the Sea papers and elements from Bubbly Funk's Hooked! Box.  Full details of the layout are on the blog post.

Thank you for visiting today, have a great day. Cathy x

Anyone for ice cream?

Hi everyone. Today I'm sharing another sample card for my Trimcraft demo on Sunday, made using the new Helz Cuppleditch Beach Life collection.

I think this little wooden ice cream may be one of my favourite embellishments ever!

If you live in or near Cardiff, it would be lovely to see you at my demo on Sunday. You can escape the football! (I'm actually gutted to miss it) It is a new store- the address is:
The Range Patreane Way Culverhouse Cross Cardiff CF5 4UG.
I'll be there from 11 to 4.

Today will be spent crafting and trying to stay awake long enough to pick my eldest son up from school at midnight as he returns from France. I have missed him so much but the school have shared lots of pictures and they have all had an amazing time.

Have a lovely weekend xxx

Beach Life

Hi everyone. I have been really lucky this week and got hold of the fabulous new Helz Cuppleditch Bech Life collection for my demo on Sunday. This is my first card with it.

I always like to have a new card fold for my demos and this one is called fold and frame. I made it following the tutorial in the latest issue of Papercraft Inspirations. Now I know how easy it is I'll prepare a step by step for the blog next week.

I do adore this collection, it's so perfect for summer and very cute. I will have no trouble making lots of samples this week.

Thank you for popping by. Cathy xxx

You're the Best

Hi everyone. I've been away from the blog for a while as I was finding it hard to keep up with it. However I think I'm ready to start blogging again and I'm looking forward to catching up on your blogs too.

It's Father's Day today so I'm sharing the card I made for my dad. We got together yesterday as my eldest son is off to France with his school today. I'm trying not to think about how much I will miss him.

I used a Craftwork Cards hexagon card blank for this card, then cut my layers from Dovecraft card and CWC Julie Loves Super Star papers.

I added a sentiment for the same collection layered onto the Dovecraft blue card. The stars and candi are also from the CWC Super Star collection. I finished with a twine bow- the twine is from My Mind's Eye and is available from Bubbly Funk.

I really love this colour combination, especially against the kraft card. This design would work for teachers cards too, the end of term isn't far away now.

Hope you have a lovely day whatever you are doing. I will be trying to take my mind off missing my son by preparing for my Trimcraft demo next Sunday (at the new Range store in Cardiff). Cathy x

Wedding memories

Apparently there was a big wedding this weekend! I didn't manage to catch much of the Royal celebration but it did make me think back to my own wedding day 11 years ago. I dug out a photo and decided to make a scrapbook page.

 

This layout appears on the Bubbly Funk blog today. The dotty heart, Love die cut and glittery hearts are all from the Love is...Through the Letterbox Craft Box.

My 12x12 scrapbook paper is from Crafter's Companion Sara Davies Love and Romance collection. I have also used Trimcraft First Edition washi tape on the left.

I did enjoy revisiting some good memories making this layout.

If you'd like to take a look at the fabulous Bubbly Funk Craft Boxes visit the website. There is also lots of gorgeous inspiration on the blog so please do check that out.

I'm off now to research GDPR regulations for bloggers. I may take a little break from the blog until I get it sorted, but will be back soon. Any tips are appreciated!

Cathy x

Bee-cause you're special

Hi everyone, hope you've had a lovely week. It's been busy for me with lots of students coming up to GCSEs- the first English and maths exams are next week. This weekend is going to be great though. We are going out with friends tonight, taking the boys to watch Exeter Chiefs play in the Rugby Premiership semi final on Saturday and finishing on Sunday with a football tournament for Samuel while Isaac is on a Beavers trip to a theme park!

Last week Daring Cardmakers had a bee theme for their challenge. I'm too late to join in but was inspired to make this card.

I love hexagons (must be the maths teacher in me!) so decided to use a hexagonal kraft card blank from Craftwork Cards. I used Sissix die to cut Trimcraft Bee Happy papers (I love the little bees on the background paper) and a kraft card mat to add to the card blank.

I cut my bee and honeycomb shape from gold mirri. These dies come from the Bee Themed die set by First Edition. I liked the hexagon waste from this so used them to add a bit more detail in the centre.

I finished with a puffy sticker and ribbon from the Bee Happy collection.

Hopefully the hot weather we are promised this summer will bring lots of bees, just as long as there aren't too many wasps.

Have a lovely weekend. Cathy xxx

ATCs for Bubbly Funk

Hi everyone. Just a quick post to let you know I am on the Bubbly Funk blog today, with this set of ATCs.

You can read more about them here http://bubblyfunk.co.uk/blog/2018/05/12/easy-as-atc/

Cathy xxx

Botanical thank you

Hi everyone. Can hardly believe Friday is here already. Today I'm sharing a thank you card I have made for the lady who made an amazing cake for my son's birthday.

The papers I used are First Edition Botanical Beauty. They are so lush, with beautiful colours and designs. I have layered them onto dark blue Dovecraft card.

My Thank You sentiment is a large Dovecraft stamp. I stamped using Versafine ink onto white card, layered onto blue card them placed it into the centre of the card.

My card seemed a bit dark so I chose a teal coloured mirri card for my butterflies, which worked really well.

Here's the cake she made- I'm sure you'll agree it definitely merits a thank you!

Rainbow hearts

Hi everyone. Wow, what a lovely weekend it has been here. The sun has shone brightly and is promising to again today. My eldest spent 8 hours at our local outdoor pool with friends on Saturday (he is a nice shade of pink to prove it). As it's Bank Holiday Monday we are stocking up on the suncream and planning to visit the pool together today. On days like this we realise how lucky we are to have such a wonderful facility 5 minutes away.

For today's card I've been using the free papers from the latest issue of Making Cards magazine.

These papers and images are perfect for a girl's card. I just love these rainbow hearts. This is the first time I've used the magazine's free papers and I was pleasantly surprised by the fabulous quality of them.

Have a lovely day, Cathy xxx

Bubbly Funk Stamps and Thanks

Hi everyone. Thank goodness it's Friday and it's a Bank Holiday. I'm looking forward to a long weekend.

Yesterday I shared this card on the Bubbly Funk blog but didn't get a chance to share it here. I created it to show off these fabulous stamps from the Hello Spring Through the Letterbox Craft Box.

You can read all about the card here https://bubblyfunk.co.uk/blog/2018/05/03/stamps-and-thanks/

Products used:
Nuvo Shimmer Powders and Mica Mists
Bubbly Funk Hello Spring Craft Box- stamps, fabric and wooden flower
Bubbly Funk die cut sentiment
Distress Oxide in Peeled Paint

Have a lovely weekend, Cathy xxx

Double figures

Hi everyone. Today is a big day as my eldest boy is 10 today. I can't believe I have a child in double figures.

This is the card I made him (as you may know he is obsessed with all things military).

The camo paper and images are downloads from CraftsUPrint, and I used Dovecraft textured card too.

And here is my boy- at 4 months and at Aahton Gate watching Bristol City last weekend. How time has flown!

By the way, we still have the yellow blankie- Samuel gave it to his brother when he was born and he still sleeps with it every night.

Thank you for visiting today and for all your lovely comments xxx

Birthday butterflies

Hi everyone. I'm sorry I haven't been around to comment on blogs lately- I had some problems with my hayfever medication and ended up too exhausted to function properly. Luckily the problem has been solved by a switch in medication. The next couple of days will be spent catching up (and celebrating my son's 10th birthday, double figures mean double celebrations!).

Yesterday was my last Trimcraft demo of this Spring round and so I'm sharing a birthday card for a 10 yr old girl (one of our group of close friends) made using the Hey Baby paper pad.

I've mentioned before that these papers aren't just for new baby cards and this butterfly paper is perfect for a not so little girl.

I'm sure I've mentioned before how much I like purple and yellow together so I've used this yellow paper in the background and for die cutting. The dies I used are by Dovecraft, as is the ribbon.

I'll be back tomorrow to show you the card I've made for my son- it is in total contrast to this one! Cathy x

Rainbow Unicorn

Hi everyone. I've had a really busy weekend with a trip to watch Bristol City play with my sons and their football team on Saturday, followed by a Trimcraft demo yesterday. Luckily I still have a couple of free days so can recover a bit today.

A couple of weeks ago it was National Unicorn Day. When I found a picture of a unicorn card I made last year, I was asked to recreate for a friend. However, I had to use different papers and came up with something that looks quite different to the original.

The main image of this card is from Hunkydory's Little Book of Little Dudes and Perfect Princesses. I trimmed it down and backed it with some purple Dovecraft card, which I used for all my mats.

The first backing paper is from an old Trimcraft Simply Creative pad and the other papers are from Hunkydory For the Love of Stamps magazine issue one. 

I finished with a sentiment cut using a Dovecraft die, sequins and a ribbon from my stash.

This was the original card I shared:

You can see that the layout is the same but I think I prefer the new version.

Hope you have a lovely week. Thanks for visiting today. Cathy xxx

Spritzing and misting

Hi everyone. I had such a lovely crafty day yesterday. I began by making a couple of girls' cards for upcoming birthdays then decided to try out my Nuvo Mica Mist sprays. I took 3 sprays and a piece of Tim Holtz watercolour card, spritzed away and loved the effect so much I used it for a card.

The three Mica Mist colours I used were Silver Smoke, Violet Lustre and Nebula Blue. I sprayed the silver first, as I wasn't sure if I would like it (I do), then the other colours. I experimented with spraying close and further away to get different effects.

I have tried mica sprays before but these are the first I really like.

Once my background was complete, I added strips of Hobbycraft washi tape. I stamped a Hunkydory For the Love of Stamps Brighter Days sentiment stamp using Versafine ink and added a star from Craftwork Cards Julie Loves Stars kit where the washi tape crosses. I used a Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle marker to add a glitter effect to the star.

I cut a 6x6 card blank down to the right size to make a tent fold card. I added some purple paper from the Julie Love Stars paper pad then fixed my finished card front to it.

I realky enjoyed making this card. It was so quick and easy and I can see myself making more of these.

This weekend I have another Trimcraft demo, this time in The Range in Andover on Sunday. If you are local please do pop in- it's a long drive for me so it would be lovely to see some familiar faces.

Have a lovely weekend, Cathy xxx

Mojo Kickstarter

Hi everyone. I had a fabulous tine at the Arcade Fire concert on Sunday. It was a really joyous and inspiring evening. Now I'm enjoying a bit of time off in the daytime with only a few tutoring sessions after school this week.

A couple of weeks ago I found myself with lots of craft time but no mojo. Luckily I found a sketch shared on a Facebook group (it originated as Craftwork Cards Mojo Kickstarter sketch no 8 and you can find it on the Craftwork Cards and Friends Official group) and used this as a starting point for this card.

Everything on this card is from Trimcraft's VandA collection. This design allowed me to make the most of these beautiful papers.

I had this card in mind for a friend but then my husband asked for a card for his mum so this will be sent to her.

Thank you for visiting today and for your lovely comments. Cathy x

Springtime Fawn for Bubbly Funk

Hi everyone. Today I'm sharing a new card for Bubbly Funk and it is on the Bubbly Funk blog today.

It has been about a year since I last did any proper colouring and it was fun to colour this Saturated Canary stamp which is in the Hello Spring box, even if I'm very rusty. I mainly used Copics, with Spectrum Noirs for the dress, and really need to revisit the skin and hair colour combos before I do more colouring.

The background was created by smooshing watercolour card in Distress Oxides. I used Fossilized Amber, Worn Lipstick and Dried Marigold for a soft, pastel look. The squares of paper are from the Hello Spring box as are the wooden butterflies.

Yesterday we managed to find some sun in Lyme Regis but today it's raining again. Luckily I have a quiet morning before we drive to Birmingham for the Arcade Fire concert. I am so excited about it and counting down the hours! Have a great day xxx

I would like to enter this card for:

A Bit More Time to Craft Challenge 66
Craft Stamper Take It Make It April Challenge (use of Satuarated Canary Little Darlings Spring Fawn stamp)

Faith, trust and pixie dust

Hi everyone. I'm in a particularly good mood today, not just because I have a week off the day job next week but mainly because I'm off to see Arcade Fire this weekend. I have seen them twice before and they were amazing so I really can't wait.

Today I'm sharing a card made with the Disney Peter Pan paper pack that was on Create and Craft recently.

I really couldn't resist this collection. My boys are big Peter Pan fans and we must have watched Hook at least 100 times! This card features Tinkerbell, not their favourite character, but I just love this sentiment. I think I may make a few like this for my yr11 tutees when they start their GCSEs soon.

Hope you have a lovely weekend. Cathy x

A whale year older...

Hi everyone, hope you've had a good start to the week. I am having a couple of quiet days and will have some time to craft today, in between watching some athletics on TV.

On Sunday I had a Trimcraft demo in Cheltenham and today I'm sharing one of the cards I made for it.

The papers are First Edition Beyond the Shore and the design is a good way of using lots of scraps of paper- which I always end up with after a demo. I just adore the whale die I've used. It comes from the First Edition Nautical set and I've cut it in navy blue Dovecraft Textured Card (it's the most brilliant card stock for die cutting). The sentiment is a fabulous Dovecraft stamp.

Just for contrast, and to show how varied this paper pad is, here's another Beyond the Shore card which I made at my demo.

Thank you for visiting today and for your lovely comments 

Hello Spring gift bag

Hi everyone. Big news today as the sun is actually shining! Even my 9 yr old is fed up with the weather; the other day (whilst we were freezing cold on Paignton pier) he remarked, "Winter seems to be going on a long time this year."! Hopefully we are finally welcoming Spring.

Today's project is a very quick and easy gift bag, made for Bubbly Funk.

I wanted to use this fabulous felt flower whilst producing something other than a card with my Through the Letterbox Craft Box, so this was the perfect project for that. You can read more on the Bubbly Funk blog.

I have one more quiet day before the boys return so will be crafting later. On Sunday I have a Trimcraft demo in Cheltenham so I may do more prep for that. Have a lovely weekend. Cathy x

Wanderlust

Hi everyone. I have had a lovely time with the family this weekend- we went to my in-laws house in Devon and had a very relaxing time. Now I will have a very quiet house for a few days as the boys are going away until Friday with their other grandparents. Needless to say I have lots of plans- first I am going to finish watching the final series of my favourite show, Gomorrah, secondly I am going to watch the Commonwealth Games and Masters golf but, most importantly, I am going to craft!

Today I'm sharing two recent cards made using Trimcraft First Edition Wanderlust papers, which are really pretty. This card was for a friend's birthday.

I made my second card at my last Trimcraft demo and the photo was taken there.

It's a simple card but I love the colours and sentiment.

I'll be sure to share the results of this week's crafting soon. Have a good week. Cathy x

Easter Wishes with Bubbly Funk

Hi everyone. Just one quick post from me this week as I am trying to spend some time with the boys whilst they are on Easter break.

Today I'm sharing an Easter card I made for the Bubbly Funk blog using elements of the Hello Spring Letterbox craft box.

As you can see, I am really enjoying using the stencils from Bubbly Funk on my cards. This one is Floral Tile by Hero Arts and is one of the stencil choices for the Hello Spring box. I have used Distress Inks (Squeezed Lemonade, Victorian Velvet and Cracked Pistachio) with the stencil this time.

Full details of this card are on the Bubbly Funk blog today. 

I hope you all have a very Happy Easter. Cathy xxx