A Pretty Oceans Gift

I had soooo much fun making this card!  To begin, I coloured the beautiful Ocean's Gift from Sugar Nellie with promarkers.  I coloured her in Little Mermaid colours as the little girl is a huge fan! The image was coloured twice so that I could layer it.

I decided that I really fancied making a special background for her, so I used my VersaMagic inks:

I dabbed and pulled the ink pads across the card and used a damp/wet paint brush to soften the edges and blend.  Once dry, it was embossed using my Swiss Dots folder.  

The rock and mermaid were carefully cut out and layered onto the background and then the mermaid was cut and layered on top of that  And I added her little seahorse friend, who is super cute.  

The name banner was stamped using Clearly Besotted Basic Alphabet and edged with Stickles.  The age was stamped using Clearly Besotted Basic Numbers and the shells are from Seaside set: a Special Editions Sarah Hurley set by Clare Brown.  

I would like to enter the Sugar Bowl Challenge (for a second time in one month!!).

A Few Little Gorjuss Girls

I have always loved the Gorjuss Girls and Sugar Nellie's Gorjuss Party was a perfect excuse to get them inked up again. Also, I figured that if I enjoyed using my old ones, I might justify a few of the new ones;0)!

The top image is one of the newer ones " I found my family in a book" and was fantastic to colour! I decided to colour red hair as it's not a hair colour I colour often. The paper people were cut in miniature, as we would have done when we were little. I copied this idea from Cass, who posted a beautiful picture in the Sugar Nellie Facebook group. Thank you for the inspiration.

 

For my second (and third and fourth!!) Gorjuss Girls, I decided that I would give monotone a go and loved it! This image is "Untamed" and has always been one of my (many) favourites. When Louise was much younger, her hair was very similar to this image. Originally, I'd planned to colour the apron a colour, but really liked the monotone, so kept it within that scheme.

I've kept both layouts really simple as I want to show off the beautiful images........And I am a simple gal!!

So, I have, so far coloured 6 Gorjuss Girls, made cards from 2 AND managed a blog post!!!! Woohoo! Which means that I can play in the Sugar Bowl and join the Gorjuss Party. Are you coming too? x

 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, folks! I hope you all had a brilliant night last night and have had a good start to 2015. We spent a fabulous night at Nethy Bridge: a torchlight procession, ceilidh with fantastic stovies, soup and mince pie, fireworks and lovely night with friends. Most definitely a brilliant goodbye to 2014 and hello to 2015!

Whilst we've been in Aviemore, we've had loads of lovely family time, snow fun, eating and lazing about, so I've managed to read a book and do some colouring. I decided to colour up these Saturated Canary cuties first - Jules, Ava and Canary Love. I haven't coloured these in ages and had fun with some different colour combinations too. I've used my wonderful Polychromo pencils - fantastic to bring away with me as I can have all my colours in one box - I'd need about 6 boxes if I brought all my pro markers! Here are the individual close-ups:

 

 

Have a lovely day, whatever you're up to.

Susie x

 

Dream Valley Challenges - No Stamps Allowed!

I took this viola photo last year and thought it would be pretty on a card, but it's taken until now to get that done - Dream Valley's "No Stamps Allowed" challenge gave me the push I needed!

 

I've also used scraps from various collections for the background, matted onto silver pearlescent card. And I even found a yellow pansy flower in my stash which, together with the Spellbinders Foliage leaves, has completed the card. A card suitable for lots of occasions and no stamps were inked in its production!!

 

I'm looking forward to seeing your creations, folks! Good luck! Susie x

 

The Sugar Bowl DT Call

I have loved Sugar Nellie for ages now.... My first stamp was Daisy, by the way.....so I have decided to give The Sugar Bowl DT Call a go. After all, you've got to be in it to win it and take a few chances, haven't you?!

 

So, I had the lovely dilemma of deciding which of the (VERY!) many Sugar Nellie stamps to use. I already had Aviator, Delia and a mermaid coloured up and Bella Bunting was started....and I love A Little Bit of Gossip, but I finally decided on Trip to the Park. I just love her outfit and shoes and colouring her hair!

 

I've coloured her with my polychromos and used lots of glittery glue on her bag as the person I've made the card for isn't a lover of cats, but does like a bit of bling and her black puppy! The paper is from the Papermania Lucy Cromwell pad and is gorgeous! I've cut and curled the outline of some of the bunting so that it stands out from the card. The sentiment has been stamped using Clearly Besotted stamps. As usual, I've left things pretty simple to show of the beautiful image and papers.

 

So, are you going to try out for the DT call too? Go on, you know you need no excuse to ink up the sugar!! GOOD LUCK!

 

Susie x

 

Dream Valley Challenges - Flowers

We have a brand new challenge for you at Dream Valley and this fortnight's theme is Flowers - easy, huh!?!

 

I decided I'd use this photograph that was taken on holiday in Murcia a few years ago - I've always loved it! I've kept it all incredibly simple, with an embossed flower background, ribbon and a bit of stardust Stickles.

 

Here's another flowery creation I had a go at. It's a canvas with an acrylic paint background, including some painted flowers with Stickles highlighting. Then I've added grass (using the Clearly Besotted grass die) and flowers. The image is the SugarNellie Live, Laugh, Love fairy, whom I adore! Overall, it turned out a bit brighter than I'd envisaged, but I love these colours!! She is now hanging beside my craft desk:0)

Have fun, making your flowery creations!

Susie x

 

Sarah Hurley Guest Designer - iPhone Cover Inserts

Today, I am lucky enough to be back as guest designer for Sarah Hurley and thought I'd make something different. My beloved iPhone 5 has a clear cover and I decided that my existing paper insert needed changed. And I decided that some nice bright pink and teal was in order! These papers are from Sarah's A Few of My Favourite Things kits, as are the rose, flower and leaves.

 

To start with, I measured clear plastic part of my cover. For my iPhone 5 cover, this was 5.9cm wide and 12.4cm long.

I cut my chosen paper to these measurements and rounded each corner with my corner punch:

I'm a bit of a control freak, so I placed the paper inside the cover to check the fit. Whilst it was there, I marked the hole for the camera. Then, I removed it and cut out the hole with a craft knife:

I then checked the fit again and cut a tiny bit extra out.

Then the fun can begin and you can decorate however you like. BUT definitely keep it flat and with not too many layers, otherwise the cover won't fit the phone properly (I tried with a lovely bit of daisy ribbon, but it was too thick!). As you can see, I opted for a few paper layers, some stamped flowers/leaves and Stickles in Silver and Stardust to complete them.

 

Supplies:

Papers, flowers and leaves - My Favourite Things Kit

Sentiments - Doodle Dolls Dream A Little Dream and Doodle Doll Princess Girl

Stickles - Stardust and Silver

Happy crafting!

Susie x

 

 

Dream Valley DT - Favourite Colour Combo

Well, I know it's been a while since I posted for the Dream Valley challenge, but I'm pleased to say I've made it back for this challenge, which is your favourite Colour Combo.

At the moment, my favourite colours are peach and mint, like my card and any variation on those scales: peach/coral/red with mint/turquoise/teal. I adore the combination so much that my finger and toenailsnails are like this!:

So, the image I have chosen is a Gorjuss Girl from SugarNellie, although she no longer seems to be in the shop. I've coloured her with polychromos and Stardust Stickles. The paper are scraps from Memory Box pads and the sentiment is from Clearly Besotted.

And I made this little SugarNellie cutie too, using the same colour combo:

And this one, using Lili of the Valley's Maisie Two Balloons:

See? Told you I loved this combo!!!

 

So, what will you make for us at Dream Valley this challenge? I'm looking forward to seeing.

Susie x

 

 

 

Dream Valley- No Designer Paper

Hello, peeps! Hope you're all fine and dandy on this wet and miserable Sunday.

Over at Dream Valley this fortnight, our challenge is No Designer Paper. At first, I made the card for my best friend's birthday. I stamped the circle background using the Inkylicious Tiny Text and Tumbled Glass Distress Ink - I adore this colour! I then stamped the Inkylicious Make a Wish in black over the text and added Silver and Stardust Stickles. The white fishtail background has been embossed and matted onto silver card. There's a little bit of twine been added and the sentiment is from Clearly Besotted. I followed the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.

I then had a bit of fun sewing. Haven't had time to just sew and create and test for a while but I loved doing these. The smaller one is perfect size for an iPod (although just a touch too small for an iPhone, so I'll be making the next one slightly larger) and the larger one is big enough for my phone, cards, change, lipgloss and a few other items - it'll be great for the gym so that those items don't get lost in the depths of my bag! I've added an inner pocket to each and a keyring clasp - useful for clipping to a large bag or onto a zip, or whatever. I'm going to enjoy making a few of these in some of the fabrics I have. Just need more bias binding and zips. Oh, and I decided to add a bow to the smaller one, so it now looks like this:

 

So, what will you create for Dream Valley this challenge?

 

Sketch Saturday Zella

Good morning, folks! Hope you're all good. This morning I have the extremely beautiful Zella from Saturated Canary. I've coloured her with promarkers to look like Elsa from Frozen. I've added lots of bling and a few snowflakes to go with Elsa.

I have used the fab Sketch Saturday sketch last week (but haven't had time to load it in time for the challenge) for the layout, but rotated it. Love doing these little fishtail banners and ribbons! I'm sure I'll be using the layout again!

 

 

 

A Sparkly and Dotty Pippi

Oh how I love Pippi! I love her attitude, I love her spotty top, I love her baseball boots and I love her frog! So it's a bit of a mystery as to why I haven't colour her for a good wee while!?! I've coloured her with polychromos and Stardust Stickles. The paper is a mix of MME Everyday Flair and Bo Bunny I've used my new Clearly Besotted Building Blocks for the dotty background for the sentiment, my new Geometric Style triangles for the banners, the always useful Basic Alphabet and the brilliant new Basic Numbers, which also has some greetings!!!! I think there's actually quite a lot going on in this card for me: patterned paper, gem flourish, banner, sparkle, ribbon and an image!!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

The Sugar Bowl - Fairies

Papertake Weekly - New Year, New Stash ( Building Blocks, Geometric Style and Basic Numbers)

Sweet Stampin' - Girly, but No Pink

Allsorts - Ribbons, but no bows (red ribbon across stripy paper)

 

Sketch and Stash Becki

Initially, I wasn't sure about this Sketch and Stash sketch, but then........it seemed to suit the card I was working on at the time and the papers I had chosen.......it spoke to me!

I have loved this Saturated Canary image, Becki, for ages and finally brought her when Krista had a 40% discount code the other week (along with a few others!). I'm so pleased I did - she's a dream to colour and I LOVE emphasising her choppy haircut with my scissors!

The papers I have used are the beautiful Basic grey papers. And there's a little gem flourish from Hobbycraft, silver peel off lines, punched flower, computer sentiment and Silver and Stardust Stickles as embellishments.

I decide that the sketch worked so well that I would use it to make a second card!

 

Dream Valley DT - Buttons

For my Dream Valley DT project this fortnight, I thought I'd use my favourite Sugar Nellie fairies, which I have coloured with promarkers, gloss and Stardust Stickles. I adore these beautiful girls and their little wildlife friends. Their frames have had a few flowers, leaves, butterflies and buttons added....such fun!

I would definitely like to enter the Sugar Bowl challenge - I haven't entered a challenge for ages!

Looking forward to seeing what you make with your buttons for Dream Valley!!

 

Dream Valley DT - Purple and Green

Apologies, first of all, for the lack of blog posts.....I've just been extremely busy with orders, puppy and life in general!

So, the challenge this fortnight at Dream Valley, is Purple and Green and there is a surprise goody bag for the winner! I had originally planned to use jewel tones of purple and green, but they just weren't working for me. I had a minor worry that this challenge was more of a challenge than it should have been, then remembered that the gorgeous Forever Friends Kraft Notes papers had paler greens and purples with beautiful patterns and I was sold.....and relieved!! I was also pleased to be able to use some of the purple mulberry paper that I've had in my stash for years.

I stamped the Inkylicious Tiny Text in Bundled Sage Distress Ink, then stamped the black Inkylicious Make A Wish dandelions over it. The dandelions have had a little bit of Silver and Stardust Stickles added for a subtle shimmer. I have also used my beloved Clearly Besotted Butterfly Wishes Additions dies and Basic Alphabet stamps and the sentiment is from the Twinkle Toes set.

I hope you're all doing ok. As soon as I can, I'll be nosing around your blogs and makes!

Susie x

 

Dream Valley DT - For A Child

Are are you all? We're all ok....getting into a new routine with school started again and Euan actually starting school. I'm glad to say that he had a great first week and is rally looking forward to full days next week and having his school dinner each day! I'm looking forward to more of a routine too, although I need to accept that it'll take me a wee while to work out the best one with Buddy and for me:0)

Anyway.....at Dream Valley this fortnight, our challenge is For a Child and we are sponsored by Meljens Designs. I have used Clearly Besotted Twinkle Toes, with some mesh made into a tutu. Her bodice has been formed using my Silver Stickles. I have also used my new Clearly Besotted Basic Alphabet, which is getting LOTS of use!! The papers are Papermania Henbury Lane and there is a Hobbycraft Gem Flourish to complete the card.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you create for the Dream Valley challenge - have fun!

 

A Special Handbag

I was lucky enough to spend Friday night away at a spa and hotel to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday. It was fabulous fun and I loved the opportunity to get dressed up and wear heels!

I wanted to make a special card for her, so made this handbag, with a pocket on the inside for all our little messages to be held. Here is the link for the brilliant instructions. They are fairly easy, but very time-consuming to make, but I really enjoy them. I have the card and paper cut for another two, so will (hopefully) have a couple to add to my Facebook page.

It's been a rather busy week this week..... ..we collected our 17week old Border Collie puppy on Sunday, so it's been a roller coaster ride this week whilst he settles in and we get used to what he needs and likes and how we will all work together. But he's lovely, very clever, affectionate and we are definitely all completely smitten with him!

But this is the reason that I haven't managed to make a Dream Valley DT creation that completely follows the theme of Monochrome.......this handbag MOSTLY follows it but does have some green too. But I will be making a truly monochrome card very soon....honest!

In the meantime, here are the pics of the inside:

I've used part of Krista's Saturated Canary Princess Peanelope, coloured with polychromos, Inkylicious Make A Wish (the dandelion) stamp and Clearly Besotted Butterfly Wishes die.

And here are a few pictures of our Buddy:

 

Sabrina for My Sis

The first time I saw Krista's image, Sabrina, I knew that I would use it for my sister! My sister lives in Austria, and embraces many of the traditions, including traditional Austrian dress, the dirndl. Her dirndl is beautiful emerald green, with a white blouse and apron. Hence the colours I have used in my colouring of Sabrina. I've used my lovely polychromo pencils and Stardust Stickles.

I have stamped the leaves in Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint Distress Inks and cut it into a circle. The LOTV sentiment, letters and flowers are stamped in Worn Lipstick and the Spellbinders Foliage die as been used, yet again!!

I've kept the layout very clean and simple....this was the third layout I tried.....the first two seemed way too chaotic , but this one did, I think, focus on "sister" and the image. The embellished bag in the previous post was also for my sister. Making the bag meant that the present arrived two days late but I was determined that I was making her something, so had to make that compromise.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Allsorts - Favourite Things (Saturated Canary images, polychromo pencils, Distress Inks and MY SIS!)

One Stop Craft - Anything Goes

Totally Gorjuss - Anything Goes with Circles

Saturated Canary - Celebrations

Hope you're getting the chance to enjoy the lovely weather. We're loving the school holidays too. We have a free morning tomorrow, but I'll decide what to do tomorrow....take care, crafty peeps!

Susie x

 

Live, Laugh, Love

The new release of SugarNellie fairies are gorgeous, aren't they? This lovely little lady is called Live, Laugh, Love and I've coloured her with Distress Inks and polychromos. The dress is a bit more vibrant than I'd intended but I do love a turquoise and green combination!

I decided that she needed to be framed so used a little background paper, ribbon, Foliage leaves and flowers from my stash. The finishing embellishment was a Clearly Besotted butterfly, stamped in Worn Lipstick and Tumbled Glass and a little Stardust and Silver Stickles.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Sugar Bowl - Anything Goes

Divas by Design - Cute

Crafts and Me - Anything Goes

The Crazy Challenge - Anything but a Card

Bunny Zoe's - Wings

 

Roses are Red

This is the beautiful Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, from Saturated Canary (how I love these images...sooooo pretty!). I've coloured her using promarkers and polychromos and some Stardust Stickles. I LOVE colouring her hair...so many layers and texture to be added!

There is a little bit of FF Kraft Notes paper, matted onto mint green card. I've used my lovely Spellbinders Foliage die and xcut flower punch, stamped in Worn Lipstick Distress Ink. The sentiment is computer generated and the curly font is called Giddyup - love the shape of this and the little stars above the 'i's!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz - Say it With Flowers

Stampin for the Weekend - Anything Goes

 

Time For Tea

I haven't used these Summer Driggs papers for ages, but decided they'd be perfect for this tea inspired card. The teapot and cups are from my new Digistamp Boutique Time For Tea set, which I have paper-pieced and fussy cut. I have made a "table cloth" from scraps of paper, with stitching stamped using the Clearly Besotted Just For You set, stamped in Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. The sentiment has been computer generated and I chose a teal coloured ink to co-ordinate with the papers.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Sketch and Stash - sketch, which I have rotated

Totally Gorjuss - Happy Birthday

Digistamp Boutique - Anything Goes