Life is Beautiful- Pink at My Besties UK

Today sees a new challenge at My Besties UK. Our option this month, along with the usual Anything Goes, is Pink. You can play along and see all the DT inspiration here.

Of course, this option wasn't too difficult for me- my biggest problem was choosing which of my pink papers to use. In the end I went for some very pretty, soft pink papers from the Trimcraft Dovecraft Floral Muse collection. The Life is Beautiful paper seemed to work particularly well with this image.

The image I chose this month was another of Sherri Baldy's fabulous Fluffy Besties, IMG 36. I would love to be lying in a hammock in the sunshine like this gorgeous girl. I coloured the image in Spectrum Noir markers and simply used butterfly die cuts and pearls to embellish.

The Spectrum Noir colours I used are:
Skin TN1 TN2 FS1 CR2
Hair and hammock TN1 EB1 EB2
Flowers and dress  FS6 CR2 CR3
Leaves DG2 DG3
Tree GB8 GB10

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges:
Cardz4Galz Springtime
Crafts Galore Encore Anything Goes for April
In the Pink Dies and Punches
The ABC Challenge E is for Everything
Whoopsi Daisy Butterflies and Flowers

Flamingos!

A quick post from me today to share this fun card I made using Trimcraft's Simply Creative papers. These fabulous papers in stunning bright colours come from the Happy Days 6x6 pad and I love them, especially the flamingos!

It was fun to make this card. Although I love colouring, it takes me such a long time to finish anything! This was a quick and simple make.

I cut a strip from the bottom of a 6x6 card blank to make a tent fold card and rounded the edges.

I covered half the card in flamingo paper and half in ombre paper, rounding the edges before sticking them down.

For the centre strip I took 2 strips of ombre paper and layered them. I then wrapped a strip of Dovecraft Flamingo Washi Tape around before placing the strip on the card.

I cut 2 flowers from different papers using a First Edition Flower Die. I layered them together and placed a button from my stash in the centre. I added the flower and Dovecraft Serendipity gems to finish the card.

Hope you all have a very happy weekend. Thank you for visiting and commenting today it is always appreciated x

Happy Easter

A very Happy Easter to you all, whether you celebrate the Christian festival or simply enjoy eating chocolate. I always do both!

Today I'm sharing the Easter cards I made for my sons, both made using the Trimcraft Me to You Easter collection.

The first card is an Easter shaker card. I used an egg shaped die to cut the aperture for an Easter twist. A full tutorial for this is in my Trimcraft gallery. 

My second card uses up the waste from the shaker aperture.

I love the delicate colours of this card and of course Tatty Teddy is so sweet.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and comment today xxx

Pick n Mix

Today's card is a shaker card for a little girl whose birthday is coming soon  The post title refers to two things: firstly the fabulous bright papers I used are from the Trimcraft First Edition Pick and Mix pad I won last week and, secondly, I have used a real mix of products on this card.

The fox and bear (along with the balloon and cute party hats) come from the Lawn Fawn die and stamp set, Party Animal. This was another of my lucky wins last week. I had admired their products for a while, so I was excited to play with these. I'm happy to say both the stamps and dies are fabulous to use.

I have coloured the stamps using Spectrum Noir Sparkle pens. I have had these a while but only used them on Christmas cards. However, I watched Leann Chivers on Hochanda at the weekend and decided to try my pens more often. The bear has just been coloured directly but for the fox I wanted a less vibrant orange so blended the colour with a wet brush. 

Finally I cut some of the Pick n Mix paper using a Crafter's Companion Die'sire die.

Full list of Spectrum Noir Sparkle colours:

Solar Red, Harvest Moon, Smoked Quartz, Pink Garnet, Aquamarine, Clear

I would like to enter this card for: 

ABC Challenge C is for Cute

Spectrum Noir Show us some Sparkle

Dreamtime Craft Supplies Inspirational Challenge #1 Anything Goes

Happy Mother's Day

Today it's Mother's Day in the UK, so I'm sharing the card I made for my mum. I'll be spending my Mother's Day cheering on my eldest son in a rugby match, so we visited mum last night and she loved her card.

I got the inspiration for the card from this month's Quick Cards Made Easy Magazine. This issue's card school shows you how to make this fabulous Circle Gatefold card. I followed the step by step instructions to create the card shape:

I also took inspiration from Becky James' use of the Floral Muse collection in the article but chose different papers from the 8x8 paper pad and embellishments to create my own design.

I inked the edges of the papers with Victorian Velvet distress ink and punched some of the corners to soften the card. I layered the inside and outside with papers adding lace and butterfly ribbon to the front.

Finally I added a sentiment sticker, frame and embellishments to the circle part of the card.

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges:
Alphabet Challenge Blog Anything Pink
In the Pink Challenge #89 For a Special Lady
Creative Inspirations #246 Pretty Projects

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

March Calendar

Hello and happy March everyone. Today I'm sharing my March calendar layout.

For this one I kept the design really simple but liked the idea of creating a different shape this time, so I used my Sizzix banner dies to create this shape.

For me the real fun of these pages is choosing the papers that best match that month. I love Spring colours so this month I chose these gorgeous Trimcraft First Edition Love Story papers. I think they look great with kraft card too.

To finish I just added a paper flower from the Trimcraft Dovecraft Floral Muse collection and twine and a button from my stash. There you have it, sweet and simple, just like me!

Thank you for visiting today, I really appreciate all of your comments x

A return to Bohemia

Hi everyone. Today's card is a bit different to my last CAS card and has a much more vintage feel.

For this one I've returned to one of my favourite Trimcraft collections of last year, the Dovecraft Bohemian collection. I've cut the topper from one of the 8x8 papers and layered it up with pretty green and pink papers, a doily and lace. I've used Victorian Velvet Distress Ink on the papers and doily for a more vintage look.

 The charm and wooden rose are from the Bohemian collection. I've used Distress Markers on the rose (Spun Sugar for the pink). I have loads of distress markers and must learn to colour properly with them.

Thanks for visiting today and for your lovely comments. I'm off to enjoy the sunshine now :-) x

Floral Muse

Hi everyone. Hope you have all survived the latest storms. Here in Somerset we had a bad day yesterday, though luckily our town managed to avoid the power cuts that hit others. Today we have actually had snow! It's a very rare thing here and only lasted 10 minutes but my 4 yr old got very excited.

Today I'm sharing 2 cards made using the Trimcraft Dovecraft Floral Muse Collection.

 I would like to enter this card for:
Cardz 4 Galz Challenge 15

It's a very pretty collection with gorgeous papers, stamps, sentiment stickers and embellishments like the wooden frames, heart rosettes and lovely paper flowers in the first card. I love this shabby chic look and think it looks great with kraft card. It will be perfect for Mother's Day cards.

Thank you for visiting today. I really appreciate all your comments. Cathy x

January Same but Different at My Besties UK

Today is Same but Different day at www.mybestiesuk.blogspot.co.uk. This month the DT have all used this really pretty Sherri Baldy image no 688. You can purchase the digi stamp here. Don't forget to pop over to the My Besties UK blog to see all the fabulous cards the team has produced.

A little change for me today as I have used Copic pens for colouring the flowers as well as my usual Spectrum Noir markers. The Copic markers used are RV91 and RV93. I used them as I haven't really managed to find a lilac purple combination I like as much as this in my Spectrum Noir markers. However, I am happy to have finally found a brown hair combination I really like with them- I have used TN4 TN5 TN7 and TN8.

I have teamed the image with Trimcraft First Edition Mulberry Kisses papers and kept it pretty with lace, doilie, some die cut flowers and pearls. These papers are so lovely, and have a great texture too, I just love them.

I'd like to enter this card for these challenges:

Scrapbook Stamp Society Add 3 of Something (flowers)

Thanks for visiting today and for all your lovely comments. Cathy x

Bestie Snow Day Ever

Good morning. Christmas is so close now- I have two very excited boys at home and we have lots planned for the week. We're off to see Star Wars later- I promise I won't share any spoilers.

Today sees our last Same but Different of the year over at the My Besties UK Challenge blog. Today we are using this fabulous Sherri Ann Baldy image called My Bestie Snow Day Ever, available to buy here. Don't forget to go to the blog to see all the fantastic DT cards and comment on the post to have a chance of wining this digi.

I have used Spectrum Noir markers to colour the image. Colours used are:
Hat and top: CR9 DR3 DR6
Jeans: TB1 TB3
Bows: LG3 LG5
Boots: EB1 EB2
Hair GB8 GB9

The backing paper and wooden heart are from Trimcraft. I have used Tattered Lace dies to cut snowflakes from Crafter's Companion Desert Storm Card and finished with Trimcraft pearls.

Thanks for visiting today and for your lovely comments.

Nordic Reindeer card

It's been a mad few days for me, so I haven't managed to either make many cards or write my blog. However, I have now finished work for Christmas and I'm looking forward to catching up with my backlog and with reading other people's blogs.

Today's card is a cute nordic card. The stamp is from the Crafter's Companion Nordic Christmas range and has been coloured with Spectrum Noir markers. The sentiment is from the same range.

I have teamed the image with these fabulous Trimcraft First Edition Christmas Wishes papers. I love the vivid colours of the papers and the Christmas jumper pattern of the green paper.

I would like to enter this card for the Spectrum Noir December Challenge Clean and Simple.

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

Little Dimples Christmas Boy

Good morning everyone. What a week I've had. Following on from my son's birthday I've ended up with a nasty cold and a terrible headache I can't shake. Not what I need at this busy time of year! Hope you are all keeping well.

Today sees a new challenge at My Besties UK and this month the option is Christmas (of course we still have the Anything Goes option too). Please do pop over to the blog to see all the fabulous DT cards.

For my card, I chose this gorgeous My Bestie boy, he is Little Dimples Christmas Boy and and the digi can be purchased from the My Besties Shop. I hope you love him as much as I do.

I have coloured the image with Spectrum Noir pens:
Face FS2 FS4 CR2
Hat CR8 DR3 DR6 IG1
Clothes BG1 BG2 CR8 DR3
Slippers EB2 EB3 TN6

I have used Trimcraft products for the rest of the card- North Pole papers have been backed onto Crafter's Companion Desert Storm Neenah card and the ticket to Santa is cut from the papers too. The peg and button are from the same range with the cute wooden trees from the Dovecraft Christmas Basics range and pearls and twine from the Glad Tidings range.

I'd like to enter this card for the following challenges:
Whimsy Stamps Anything Goes- Holidays
Crafts Galore Encore Anything Goes
My Besties Meet at the Scrappers Corner Anything Goes
Scrapbook Stamp Society Anything Goes Option Christmas
Creative Craft Cottage Anything Goes

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

With a grateful heart

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the US and, although we don't celebrate it in the UK, it strikes me that at the moment it is important to give thanks for all we have. I am lucky to be healthy, have 2 amazing children, a rewarding job and lots of great friends. So many people in the world live in poverty and in the midst of war that I am so grateful to live in safety and comfort.

This card has been made using Trimcraft First Edition Falling Leaves papers. The leaves have been cut from the papers using X Cut leaf dies and distressed with Walnut Stain distress ink. The sentiment was a free download from Trimcraft (they have a set of toppers and sentiments available here). I have finished off with some Dovecraft Glad Tidings Pearls

Thank you for visiting and commenting today. I hope all of my American visitors have a very Happy Thanksgiving. Cathy x

Back to the North Pole

Good morning everybody, hope you've had a great weekend. Today's card is a simple little Christmas card made using the Trimcraft North Pole collection with a few embellishments from other Trimcraft Christmas collections.

I began by inking the edges of a square of background paper with Tea Dye distress ink and added it to a kraft card blank. I cut two banner shapes, one slightly larger than the other, and added these to the left hand top corner.

I took a wooden tree shape, from the Dovecraft Christmas Basics range, and decorated it with some pearls from the Glad Tidings range. I first saw Dawn Wheeler do this when she demonstrated Trimcraft products on Create and Craft and love the effect.

I finished the card with a bow, frame and mini peg.

Thank you for visiting today, I really appreciate all your comments. Cathy x

Happy Birthday Mum!

It's a very special day today as it's my Mum's 70th birthday. I thought I'd share the 2 cards I made for her.

The first one is from my sons, made using Trimcraft Dovecraft Back to Basics III and Serendipity ranges:

What makes this card a bit different is that the picture is actually a fridge magnet. I wanted to find a way to make this great picture into a keepsake and this worked well. Full details are in my Trimcraft gallery

The second card has been made using the new Crafter's Companion Downton Abbey CD-Rom:

This CD is fantastic, especially for fans of the show as my Mum is. I have chosen papers and a topper from the Dowager Countess Violet selection and added lace and pearls. I love the quote on the tag- in my opinion Violet has all the best lines in the show.

We will have a busy evening celebrating this special day and will be repeating it all again soon as my Dad is 70 in 8 days time!

Thanks for visiting today, I appreciate all of your comments x

My Besties UK November Challenge

Happy Monday everyone. October has been and gone so quickly. November is my busiest month of the year, with birthdays for my mum, dad and husband, followed by my youngest son on 1st December, but I do love this time of year.

Today sees the start of a new challenge over at My Besties UK and this is my DT card. Our theme this month is Anything Goes  with option Gold, so I chose this festive My Bestie Image no 008, which is available to buy here. Please pop over to the challenge post to see the other DT cards, as they're all fabulous, and we look forward to seeing lots of lovely entries this month.

I have coloured the image with Spectrum Noir markers but have also used Wink of Stella in Gold for the dress and hat, so they sparkle. The Spectrum Noir colours used are:
Face FS2 FS4 CR2
Fur and Boots EB1 EB2 EB3

The papers I used are from Trimcraft's Jingle All The Way 12x12. These papers are really beautiful, with some foiled pages, so I kept other embellishments simple. I added a gold ribbon and bow, some sequins and some pearls to finish.

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges:
Allsorts Challenge Christmas
Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Use a Digi

Thank you for visiting and commenting today, I really do appreciate it. Cathy x

Happy Halloween Birthday

Happy Halloween to all those who celebrate it. I have two very excited boys today as they have parties to go to later. My youngest also had a birthday party to go to as well- one of his best friends is four today, so this is his birthday card.

The image is a Sherri-Baldy My Bestie IMG738 available here. It's such a fun cute image and I coloured with Spectrum Noir markers then added a few bats stamped around him.

The papers are fun and bright, perfect for a young boy. They are free downloads, available from the Trimcraft website. I've kept the design simple and just added two webs cut using my Tattered Lace die and some confetti spiders.

Thanks for visiting today. I appreciate all of your comments.

Christmas Wishes

Hi everyone. I will be so glad when this week is over- half term next week which means no school runs or work for me :-) Hopefully I'll have lots of crafting time too.

Today's Christmas card feature Trimcraft First Edition Christmas Wishes papers and some stamps that were free with Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine.

I've actually created a snowglobe effect by making a shaker card and adding the snowglobe frame over the top. This was stamped using the free stamp, coloured and cut so that it fitted over the shaker card aperture.

I love these papers with their slightly nordic feel and hope you like this card too.

Products used:
Stamps free with Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine
Trimcraft First Edition Christmas Wishes 8x8 pad, Dovecraft Christmas Basic gold glitter glue, snowflake ribbon, Glad Tidings Pearls
Hunkydory Diamond Sparkles
Crafters Companion Acetate
Papermania Silver Embossing Powder

I would like to enter this card for these challenges:
Crafting Musketeers Christmas with a Ribbon
Creative Craft Cottage Anything Goes


Thanks for visiting today and for all your lovely comments.

The Night Before Christmas

As a subscriber to Quick Cards Made Easy magazine, I'm lucky enough to already have the new issue which will be in the shops this week. This month there is a fantastic free gift- a Trimcraft Helz Cuppleditch paper pad and stamp. I couldn't wait to get started with it.

This card is, unusually for me, an A5 card. I've layered three papers on red card for the background and added a Trimcraft Christmas ribbon.

I stamped the image using Momento ink and it stamped beautifully. I coloured using Spectrum Noir pens and added a bit of Trimcraft glitter glue on Santa's hat. The background looked a bit harsh in white so I coloured a piece of watercolour paper using a Stormy Sky distress marker and a wet brush. I cut out my stamped image as closely as I could and added it to the background, then added some tiny Hunkydory gold gems to give a star effect.

The sentiment is from a Crafter's Companion Nordic Christmas stamp but I felt it worked perfectly for this card. I stamped in Paris Blue Momento ink and coloured the card using Faded Jeans distress ink. It was only supposed to be a distressed edge but I got a bit carried away and I like the finished effect .

Thank you for visiting today and for your comments, I do appreciate them all.
Cathy x

Naming Day Card

Just a quick post from me today as my son has his first tag rugby match of the season today and I'm off to watch.

I made this pretty pink card as a Naming Day card. I sometimes find these cards a bit tricky as, inlike Christenings, there's no obvious theme to choose. However, I came across the Trimcraft First Edition It's a Girl paper pad and thought the designs would be perfect.

I made the topper using a sticker from the sheet in the pad. I softened the edges of the oval with Victorian Velvet distress ink. The rest was very simple, 2 different papers (aren't those teddy bears gorgeous?), some ribbon, die cut flowers and gems to finish. The finished card has also been personalised with the child's name.

Thanks for visiting today and thank you for your comments, I really do appreciate them all.
Cathy x