Altered Bottle

Good morning all.

We had a visit from this little cheeky chap yesterday...decided to help itself to Freya's food whilst she went for a walk....she was not amused when she got back!!

I don't know how many of you are like me and have dozens of articles queued up waiting to be altered/upcycled....I see so many lovely things done by others and look at my blank canvases and feel a bit daunted! However I saw this little bottle in Lora's bedroom the other day and decided to half inch it when she wasn't looking!! It's only about 5" high so an easy size to start with.

Typically being in senior moment mode yesterday when I started the altering I forgot to take a before picture but it started life as a jelly bean jar from a hotel mini bar. This is what it looks like now.

First I painted with Gesso, then Vintage Lace acrylic paint from Paper Artsy, I've then added some gold gilding to age it. The decoupage is a very old one from Anna Griffin...one of my very first craft buys! Ribbon, raffia, bows, button, fan and pearl are all from my stash.

Challenges entered:

Through the Craft Room Door - anything goes

Try it on Tuesday - use your stash (decoupage)

Scribble and Scrap - anything goes

Altered Eclectics - anything goes

TokBobok - mixed media

Teddy Bea

It seems like forever since I used a Teddy Bo/Bea image but this has been sitting in my bit box for months ready to use along with all the papers.

The image was a ready coloured one, spotty paper is from Anna Griffin, pearlised handmade paper is from Costco. Dies from Spellbinders. Lace, ribbon flower, pearls and sentiment are from my stash.

Challenges entered:

Teddy Bo - menu (blue and cream, flower and lace)

Crafty Sentiments - bears

Oldie but Goodie - Mum's the word (papers are about 6 years old!)

Crafty Ribbons - celebrate Mum

Cardmad Fairy's Digi Days - Mother's day
Polka Doodle - dots, stripes or both
Di's Digi Designs - lace and pearls

Carol x

PS Don't forget I have blog candy up for grabs!

89th Birthday

It's my Aunt's 89th birthday later this week so thought I'd better get the card made ready to post. I decided to do some decoupage so had a rummage through some of my neglected stash and found this lovely bunch of flowers. I've used a great sketch designed by Pauline for Willow Sketchie.

Another rummage brought up some Anna Griffin paper scraps which I've matted and layered onto red stardream. Card is finished with a ribbon, button, twine and a sentiment.

Inside is decorated to match.

Challenges entered:

Willow Sketchie - followed sketch

Party Time Tuesday - happy birthday

Stamp n Doodle - birthdays

4 Crafty Chicks - summer in January

DYSU - patterned paper

Paper Play - ribbon every which way

Pixie Dust Studio - we're going dotty

Shelly's Images - anything goes

Card Makin Mamas - something old (decoupage and papers)

Crafty Catz - buttons and bows

Just us Girls - red, pink and white

Unstampabelles - anything goes

Birthday Sundaes - sentiment/wording on front

Pixie's Crafty Snippets - all papers were bits from a12x12 piece

Creative Inspiration Paints - inspired by pink

Carol x

Cheers

Good morning all, hope you're well. I've been keeping to my resolutions and made a start on some paper scrap booking. I've got a cupboard full of scrap book kits which need to be filled and boxes of photos which need to be emptied! So here is my first layout.

I've used the scrap mat at Creative Craft World as a base for my LO. All the papers, card, the frame, the ribbon and the journalling mat are from Anna Griffin and I've had them for several years! So also using up some stash in my endeavours. Cheers has been cut with my Cricut. The flowers are from Papermania, punch from Martha Stewart, borders are edgeabilities from Spellbinders, the hanging notice and the flourishes are Marianne Design dies. I've done lots of distressing with faded blue jeans and my new distress tool. Stamps are from Inkylicious and La Blanche and have been stamped in faded blue DI.

I did a digi version first in My Memories Suite just to get a feel for the scrap mat.

A very different look!

Challenges entered:

Crafty Bloggers - monochrome

Simon says Stamp and Show - anything but a card

The Cheerful Stamp Pad - birds of a feather

Crafts 4 Eternity - colour recipe

Crazy 4 Challenges - mono in blue

One Stop Craft - on the spot plus ribbon

Secret Crafter - anything goes and blue

Creative Craft World - scrap mat

Scrap our Stash - new
Paper Minutes - anything goes
Creative Craft Challenge - blue
Celebrate the Occasion - polka dots
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes

Carol x

Crafting When We Can #9 Resolutions

Today sees the first challenge of 2012 at CWWC and the theme is New Year's Resolutions. My resolutions for this year include finishing my cards with an insert when I make them, sorting out my old photos and doing some scrap booking. In order to get all this done I will have to have some "me time" so I've made this calendar for my craft room. We're being sponsored by The Stamping Boutique and Crafty Ribbons.

• Image: Stamping Boutique
• Medium: promarkers and DI
• Papers: Costco (from the bit box) and Anna Griffin (one of my first crafting purchases)
• Dies: Spellbinders
• Fourish: Marianne Designs
• Ribbon, gems, button and flowers from my stash.
• Sentiment is computer generated.

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the creations of my team mates.

Challenges entered:
Daisy Doodles Creative - new beginnings
Simon says Stamp and Show - something old, something new (old papers, new digi stamp and new year)
Anything Goes - blue plus one
Craft Room Challenge - anything goes
Ribbon Carousel - anything goes
The Stamping Boutique - use 12
Inky Impressions - anything goes
Paper Shelter - anything goes
Craft us Crazy - anything new (year)
Crafty Ribbons - new beginnings
Paper Cutz - new year
Poodles Parlour - button up
Simply Create Too - more than 2 layers
Catch the Bug - anything goes
Challenge up your Life - bingo (flowers, ribbons and swirls)
Crafty Emma's - anything goes
One Stop Craft - bingo (gems, dies and buttons)
Our Creative Corner - show us your shapes
Sweet Stampin - spots and dots
That Craft Place - buttons and bows
Crafty Calendar - new news (opt buttons and bows)
Creative Inspirations Paint - something old (BP)
Dream Valley Challenges - anything goes
Di's Digi Designs - all things new
Just Some Lines - New Year
Addicted to Stamps - January blues
Pixie Crafty Snippets - backing card and mats all came from the bit box

Carol x

Crafting for all Seasons #10 Sunset/Fall Colours (No 2)

My second project for the CFAS challenge is a candy bag and uses Autumn's Apple Basket from Sweet 'n Sassy:

Image is coloured with promarkers then mounted 3d onto an oval nestie which had bakers twine wrapped round it spirelli style and buttons added. The bag is made using a 12 x12 sheet from Anna Griffin, image is mounted 3d to the front, some leaf corners added and tied at the top with a ribbon.

Challenges entered:

Lollipop Crafts - anything but a card

Heart Song Inspirations - orange and/or buttons

Sweet Stamps - anything but a card

Digital Tuesday - people images

Paper Pretties - use buttons

Digi Doodle Shop - autumn

Anything goes - anything goes

Carol x

Crafting When We Can #2 Fairytales plus sketch

A big thank you to all those who made our first challenge such a success, we were overwhelmed to see so many entries. Now onto our second challenge at CWWC and this week we have a sketch and a theme of Fairytales. We're being sponsored by Specsch Designer Stamps who gave the design team images to work with. I chose Proud Unicorn and here is my card:

The image is coloured with promarkers and highlighted with stickles and a gelly roll pen. Backing papers are Anna Griffin from my snippet box, border punches from Martha Stewart, heart shaped corner dies from Spellbinders, also from my snippet box. Card is finished with a bow, buttons and some pearls from my stash.

Please pop over to the challenge blog to find the sketch and see what delights the rest of the design team have made. Please ensure you are following the rules if entering the challenge :)

Challenges entered:

Crafts and Me - add a heart

Creative Craft Challenges - buttons and bling

Delightful Challenges - girly girl

Paper Play - punches and dies

MAWTT - sparkle

CES - embellish me more (buttons, bow, pearls and corner dies)

Tuesday Throwdown - pearls

Carol x

Fancy Fold

A simple easel card - I tried a twisted easel but it didn't work with this image. The image is from Crafty Ann and the backing paper is from Joanna Sheens Heavenly Cards CD, I've printed everything on pearlescent paper. Green matt  is Anna Griffin card and I've use a PATP punch from Martha Stewart. Card is finished with a sentiment used as the brake.

Challenge entered:

Crafty Ann - fancy fold

And now I'm going to have a quiet evening in front of the TV with a bag of craft magazines I have been gifted.

Carol x

Tilda and butterfly

My gorgeous new stamp.......I just love her lol. Had a trip around Hobbycraft yesterday just for a nose and boy do they know how to charge! Picked up a few bits and bobs.........as you do.......then found a full set of 72 watercolour pencils for £50 - a set of 36 were priced at over £40 so decided they were a must buy along with a pack of two mini easels. Checked on the web and the pencils are priced generally over £70! So a worthwhile trip. I coloured Tilda in last night with my new watercolour pencils.

I followed the Sketch and Stash sketch for this card. The green backing paper is a free download from Pink Petticoat and is being aired for the first time, checked paper from Anna Griffin - from my bit box, sentiment from Madaboutcards. Card is finished with some swirls, a gingham bow, a rosebud and some gems.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

My Time to Craft - On the Spot

Magnolia Mania - Checked

Magnolia-licious - Pink and Green

Stamptacular Sunday - Girls and Swirls

Creative Inspirations - Punches and Dies

A Spoonful of Sugar - All Creatures Great and Small

Fussy and Fancy - Card for a Child

My Partner in Crafting Crime - Layer it up

Simon says Stamp - Spring Colours/Easter
Magnolia-licious Easter-Spring Extravaganza
Magnolia Stamp Lovers - Easter

Carol x

Teddy Bo

I bought a couple of these digis yesterday so decided to enter the Teddy Bo challenge which is Punch It.

The backing papers are Anna Griffin (leftover bits from yesterdays card) and make for a very loud bathroom decor lol. Teddy Bea has been coloured with watercolour pencils. Card is finished with a bow and some gems. The sentiment is an Inkadinkado stamp.

I'm also entering this in the Cup Cake - Comedy Rocks challenge.

On a more serious note I was blog hopping earlier today on my laptop and picked up a Trojan virus when I clicked on the Spellbinders blog which appears to have wiped out my hard drive! Luckily I had downloaded all my photos onto an external hard drive last week and backed my files up......so watch what you are doing!

Carol x

Spring Tilda

Had to go to Edinburgh this morning to return some stuff to M&S and visit Costco, didn't get the chance to buy anything crafty but when I got home the postie had been with three parcels! Included in one was this lovely Tilda from the Butterfly Dreams collection. I also got my first Promarkers but I need more practise before I show you my "skills or lack of" in that department.

Magnolia Mania's challenge this week is Easter, here is my card:

I followed the Sketch Saturday sketch. Tilda is coloured with watercolour pencils...all dressed in her pacey new with her Easter bonnet and spring flowers! Backing papers and card are from Anna Griffin.........I've had them for years but kept them for stroking lol. Card is finished with Prima flowers, a button, ribbon, pearls and a sentiment.

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Kaboodle Doodles - Lets get Girly

Little Claires - Spring

Tonight whilst gathering the bits for this card I decided to get a piece of lace from a bag of wool/embroidery bits that's waiting to be sorted from our old loft......having found what I was looking for I dug a little deeper and found ten hanks of satin ribbon of varying widths and colours....they're gorgeous....I've used the pink across the middle of this card.

Carol x