House Mouse Christmas Sparkle

The challenge at House Mouse this fortnight is Christmas Sparkle, and after making 4 for the LIM challenge last week, my little pile is slowly growing - oops, that sounds terrible, but you know what I mean.

This image is called 'Stocking Full of Love' and even if you don't like mice, you have got to love these!
The papers are from the Artylicious CD, snowflakes Cuttlebug,  large one in glitter paper, and the little sentiment is Penny Black. I added lots of Glamour Dust and  Diamond Dust for the snow.
Again, a short post, you're probably thinking 'thank God - she sometimes prattles on!' but I am having problems with the disks in my neck giving me pins & needles in my arm - had my first physio session yesterday, and sitting at the computer isn't helping - but thankfully I can still craft, its better when I am moving as long as I don't turn my head!

I am also entering this card in the following challenges:
  Cute Card Thursday - Animal Crackers
  Southern Girls - Anything Goes
  Inky  Impressions - Punches or Dies
  Scrapalicious - Anything Goes
  Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
  Make It Monday - Anything Goes

That's it for now, hope you all have a good weekend.

Avril xx

Less is More - and just in time!

What beautiful weather we are having and it looks like it's set to last over the weekend, so we have to make the most of it, which for me has resulted in little time for crafting, however I did make my card for LIM last night when my 'crafty' friend Diane came over, we were both very productive as well as talkative!
This image is a Lavinia stamp borrowed from Diane, thanks, and the sentiment is computer generated.  I added Glamour Dust to her wings and a little bit of soft chalk for the background, matted onto black card and that was it - I am beginning to feel a lot easier with this challenge, but it has taken quite a while!

I am also entering into the Allsorts Challenge - Keep it simple
  Truly Scrumptious - CAS
  Sisterhood of Crafters - Silhouettes

That's it for looking, will be back later with another of last nights efforts.

Avril xx

Vintage Lady

Its catwalk time again over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges and  - … what would we like to see …


Well, we would love to see you cavorting onto the catwalk with all those stylish olde worlde, antiquee, shabby chiceee looking outfits, so our theme this fortnight is …
                                                         VINTAGE

For my little number -

I have used Rubber Stampeed  'Dreaming of You' which I stamped on to Acetate with black Stazon ink and on the reverse I dripped 'Johnsons Klear Floor polish, Twinkling H2O paints and some mica powder and glitter. Covered this with a single layer scrunched up tissue and left to dry for 24 hrs. She was then matted onto cream and then brown cardstock with brads. I stamped another butterfly which was coloured with Alcohol inks. The script is Hero Arts and the larger butterfly is from Inkylicous The background is Distress inks - Vintage Photo, Spun Sugar and Bundled Sage, and then a CI swirl stamped in gold. I do hope you like my little 'creation'.
The DT at FSC are a really talented group and have produced some amazing 'creations' for inspiration, so please pop over and pay them a visit, I promise you will not be disappointed . We would love to see you enter the challenge and there is a fab Retro stamp sheet for the Winner.

  I am also entering this card in the following challenges:
    Sweet Stampin - Anything Goes
    Polkadoodles - Distress
    Raise the Bar - Things with Wings
    Crafting for all Seasons - Fall Colours
    Marks Finest Paper - Things with wings
    Just some Lines - Fall Colours
    Art Impressions - For the Girls
    Scrapbook Sisters - Autumn colours

I would just like to say 'Hello' to my new follower Lynne, great to see you there!

That's it for now, and thanks for looking, and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Avril xx

LIM - No 4

This is the end of last night 'productive play' and another Christmas card in the box as well as another for LIM - 1000 cards!
This is a PSX stamp and I coloured the holly and red bows using the fine nibs for the Promarkers - great for detail like this. Matted onto silver and lots of Glamour Dust. The sentiment is Hero Arts.

 I am also entering this card in:
  The Paper Variety challenge- Home

That's probably it for me for today and I am looking forward now to looking at the fab cards already entered.

Thanks for looking,

Avril xx

LIM - No 3

Back again to help swell the numbers - I noticed when I linked the last card  to the LIM challenge some folks have added 10!  I  think thats an amazing response to the challenge.

This card is using a Crafty  Individuals stamp - stamped onto pearlised card, matted onto black glitter paper, a little Glamour Dust, and a CB embossed card.

I am entering this card in Paper Shelters challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks again for looking.

Avril xx

LIM - No 2

A good crafting night last night, and another for the LIM challenge - hope you get the 1000!
I  bought these two little angels  (Judikins)  for the first Christmas Cards I made and they have re-surfaced every year in one form or another, great for LIM cards.

I am also entering this in:
  Little Miss Muffet Challenge - Things with Wings
  Rainbow Lady's Challenge - White Space
  Flutterby  Wednesday challenges - Anything goes (with wings) 

Thanks for looking

Avril xx

Less Is More

This is just a quick posting to 'add' my card for the LIM challenge this week which is
                   Now we are going for the 1000 submissions.
                                                       so
                                           Anything CAS Goes
I have had quite a busy week 'socialising' and have had a 'girly' shopping day with a friend - coffee/lunch/not ot mention the shopping. I am now dashing to tidy up the mess I made last night  - lots of bits in progress, but only  this card to show - before my friend Diane comes over to play!  Depending on how much talking and how much crafting gets done - I might have another one to post.

I am also enering this card in:
  Crafty Ribbons challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking

Avril xx

House Mouse 3rd Birthday

No internet for a week!  Its amazing just how much we rely on it now, and only 20 years ago it didn't exhist. Normal life can now resume - after 2  new  modems and a 'Virgin' man.  There was a good side though - no blogging  meant more crafting time!  I made quite a number of cards, and this House Mouse was one of them, it is for the 3rd Birthday of the HM Challenge, where the theme is - you guessed - Birthday - with the option of flowers,  there is a 'blog hop'  and some the original DT have joined in to celebrate, so if you have any HM stamps, join in.
I have used   Cupcake Birthday with Mudpie & Muzzy  image and coloured with Promarkers. The pink embossed Birthday is cut from a CB Birthday folder. Papers are 'snippets' from stash.
I am also entering this card in the following challenges:
  Daring Cardmakers - Birthday (they have a fab prize of a Funky Hand Papercraft CD)
  Make It Monday - Always Anything Goes
  Lexi's Creations - Card for a Child
  Stamp with Fun - Anything Goes
  Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - Birthday

I would just like to say 'HELLO' to my new follower Craftin Suzie.

Well that's it from me - I'm off on a blog hop!

Avril xx

New Goodies - So - Less is More

I hope you all had a good weekend and these horrible winds haven't done any damage to anyone.

I  am very fortunate and have had a lovely weekend.  On Saturday I went to Harrogate Papercrafts Show with friends Diane and Michell and had a great day.  It was lovely to meet up again with Christine and Lisa and also to make some new acquaintances - Joan and Maureen.
DD came home on Saturday, just a short visit, and went back today, so although I was itching to 'play' with the new goodies, I was banned from crafting while she was here!  After she left, the first thing I did was make a card!  and decided I would be early with my Less Is More card.
The stamps and sentiment are from the same Inkylicious set and I have stamped the dandelion twice in DI Bundled Sage, I cut a nesti oval in a 6 x 6 card and used this as a mask and although the colours look completely different, the oval is sponged with the same ink!  I added a sprinkling of Glamour Dust to the floating seed heads, didn't think it needed anything else - unusual for me! - think I might be getting there Mandy & Chrissy?

I am also entering this card in the following challenges:
  Make It Monday - Always Anything Goes
  Crafting When We Can - Anything Goes
  One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes
  Dream Valley Challenge - Photo Inspiration

I would just like to say a huge 'HELLO'  and THANK YOU to my new  and  'old'  followers and I will be round to visit you.

That's it for now, and I hope everyone stays safe in these dreadful winds tonight.

Fashionable Stamping Challenges - A Tag

Well Girls, its that time again for my little walk down the catwalk at Fashionable Stamping  Challenges.  The theme this time is a 'Tag' - and you should have a look at the fabulous tags the other DT members have made for your inspiration.
I haven't ventured into the world of tags previously, yes I have added a tag to a card, but that seemed different to actually making a stand alone tag, but really, once I started, it was just like adding all the bits to a smaller card,  don't know why I haven't done this before!
For my tag I used an ordinary postage label, stamped the Eiffel Tower,  masked it and stamped the Post card, both from the Royal Langnickel French Travel stamp set. I drew a line and stamped Hero Arts French Writing to one side of this before removing the mask. The little Paris tag, from the same set, was stamped onto spare card and I added an eyelet. These were all sponged with DI inks Vintage Photo and Tatted Rose. I used Clarity's Sketchy  Lady and stamped her onto spare card, paper pieced her dress and hat and just coloured her skin, I added foam pads just to 'lift' her. The swirl  was sponged with Vintage Photo and is cut from  a Marianne die. To finish I added a scrunched flower and pale blue organza ribbon.
Well I hope you like my 'little number'  and are tempted to  pop over and browse the inspirations on the catwalk of Fashionable Stamping Challenges. I hope you join us this time as there is a fabulous prize on offer from out sponsor Marina from Cottage Crafts.

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:
  Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
  Challeng up Your Life - Paper Piecing
  Allsorts - Flowers & Swirls
  Just Us Girls - Text
  Addictied to Stamps - Anything but a Card
  Paperplay - 2 or more stamped images

Thats it for now, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Avril xx

Less Is More

The challenge at Less Is more this week is -
 It's the first Saturday of the month and so we have a colour themed challenge once more and this time it is
                                                          METALLIC
We'd like to see CLEAN & SIMPLE cards with something that has a METALLIC finish to it... ink, embossing, card, charms, actual metal... come on people let's get creative -

This is a very different card for me for the LIM - it's black, I usually play safe and stick to white!
I have used the large and small Clarity Swirls, inked with Versamark and stamped onto a black cardstock that has a matt and shine appearance. I then brushed the image with LuminArte Metallic Mica - Bronze powder. I used a matt dull gold card for the mount. The sentiment was made in the same way. This was then layered onto a matt black for the card.
I am also entering this card in the following challenges:
  Creative Card Crew - Anything Goes
  Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
  Make It Monday - Anything Goes
This is a short post - but didn't want to miss this challenge - I know there will be some fabulous entries this week and I will have time tomorrow night to look and be inspired.
I would like to say 'hello' to my new followers and I hope to catch up with you tomorrow.
That's it for now,

Avril xx

House Mouse - 'The Ultimate Recipe'

The Challenge over at House Mouse & Friends this time is a ' recipe'. Not the usual card recipe where they tell you what to use - Oh no, this one is to include a recipe on you card!
There are some fabulous inspirational cards from the DT and some great sounding recipes with cute 'foodie' meeces.  I did think about using my 'Chocolate Truffle' stamp,  but this is one HM stamp that takes a lot of colouring, unlike most of the others I have and time is a bit short at present  so I decided on a 'different' kind of recipe - A Recipe for Relaxation and used Relaxing Bubbles with Bumble.
I have used Dawny P's sketch over at Papertake Weekly, I paper piece the bathtub and her arm, and she is coloured with Promarkers, I added Glitter flock and Glamour Dust for the bubbles.  The papers are from an old Laura Ashley set.  My 'recipe' is all my own work!!  printed out then cut with a nestie label. The flowers were cut from pages of an old book which was on its way to the Charity Bag, inked and cut with a scalloped circle nestie, bits of net and ribbon, all scrunched and held together with a brad, then spritzed with mica spray.
I am also entering this card in the following Challenges:
  Moving Along with the times - Handmade flowers
  Poodles Parlour - Animal Antics
  Aud Sentiments - Sentiment for a Girl
  DUSU - Friendly Critters
  Some Odd Girl - Paper Piecing
  Oldie but a Goodie - Sparkle

I would like to say 'hello' to my new followers - I can't believe I actually have 61!!  I remember when I started blogging and I got my first 'follower'  I couldn't wait to tell my family.  Now  there's '61' , all I can say to that is WOW!! and Thank You.

Its a miserable afternoon here after a promising start, so, I'm glad we went out early this morning ,which leaves me with nothing to do this afternoon but craft and I need to make a Starting School card for my Godson, going to see his uniform tomorrow!

That's it for now and I hope the weather is better where you are and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Avril xx