31/12/2013

My Favourite Cards from 2013 Part 2!

Good Morning!
As promised yesterday I am back with the remaining 6 months worth of favourite cards from 2013! So without any further ado, let's get on with it!

JULY
Starting us off again is another Magnolia card and this time I made a Criss Cross card. It takes a little longer than usual but I always love how they look once finished!

AUGUST
Another Joanna Sheen card this time and I think this is one of my all-time favourite house mouse images.

SEPTEMBER
Another House Mouse card but this time it's for a Girls Birthday instead of a Boys.

I should also include my September version of the 12 Tags as it was the second time one of my tags was chosen for the Top 10!

OCTOBER
This month see's another Magnolia Card making my favourite list!

Here's another card that was published in this month's issue of Craft Stamper. There was also a matching tag to go alongside it!

NOVEMBER
This has to be one of the most adorable stamps that I have seen recently, great for both Christmas & Winter cards.

DECEMBER
Finally we finish with a Christmas card which just missed out on being in my Top 5 the other day. How can anyone resist this cute little doggy?

I hope you enjoyed having a peek at all of these cards! I'l see you tomorrow with a brand new one for the first challenge of 2014 over at Creative Inspirations!
HAPPY CRAFTING!
XXX

30/12/2013

My Favourite Cards from 2013!

Good Morning!
It just simply wouldn't be right if I didn't do a post of my favourite cards from this past year on my blog again! For those who are new to this what I do is pick my favourite card from each month and share them all with you. However sometimes it can be too hard to pick just one so you may spot an extra one or two creeping in! lol Be warned though as this will be a rather long post, so make yourselves comfy!

JANUARY
This has to be one of my most favourite favourite cards of the year! I love the way the colours blended in the middle butterfly which I then highlighted with Glossy Accents and I used the second & third generation stamping technique on the others. Unfortunately I no longer have this card as I made it for J&C Creations when I was still a Designer for them!

Of course I also had to include my January version of the 12 Tags of 2013. Very masculine for me but I loved it!

Lastly how could I forget this card? I designed it for the UK Stamping magazine 'Craft Stamper' which was published in this months issue!

FEBRUARY
I don't usually use Crafting CD-Roms but when I was sent this one by Joanna Sheen I couldn't resist this gorgeous image that it included!

MARCH
I combined this card with a challenge Tim Holtz hosted where you had to create some Tattered Florals! I used the florals as the main focus of the card so that you eye was drawn directly to them.

APRIL
This month I have chosen another tag for 12 Tags of 2013. I just love the mix of different colours and the effect of the Clear Butterfly.

MAY
This is the first of my Magnolia cards to share for this year! I love the colour combo I chose and of course the stamp!

JUNE
I have 2 cards for this month, the first is for a Golden Anniversary that was made to order. I just love those feather stamps for stylish cards for any occasion. The second is a card I made for a DT Call that I can't bear to part with! 



Well that's the first 6 months of 2013, I shall be back tomorrow with the rest!
HAPPY CRAFTING!
XXX

29/12/2013

12 Tags of 2013 ... December!

Good Morning!
I bet you all thought that I had forgotten about doing this month's tag seeing I have left it for so long! lol I finally got around to making it on Boxing Day and I loved the shimmer of the frost film so much that I couldn't bear to ink it up! Here is a look at Tim's version of this month's 12 TAGS OF 2013 tag:


I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:
SIMON SAYS STAMP - BLING IT ON
CUTE CARD THURSDAY - ANYTHING GOES
WILD ORCHID CRAFTS - ANYTHING GOES




INGREDIENTS -
Tim Holtz Postmark Stamp
Tattered Florals Die
Harlequin Layering Stencil
Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Frosted Film
Clear for Art Parts Sheet
Seam Binding Ribbon
Twinklets Glitter & Dew Drops
£1 MMCS Embellishment Pack
Stampendous White Chunky Embossing Powder
Collall All Purpose Glue & Ranger Glossy Accents
Tim Holtz Paper Distressing Tool


INKS USED -
Archival Ink - Jet Black
Distress Ink - Frayed Burlap & Tattered Rose
Distress Stain - Antique Linen & Tattered Rose

Thanks for popping by,
HAPPY CRAFTING!
NATALIE
XXX

27/12/2013

MMCS - Anything Goes!

Good Morning!
First off can I just say thank you to all of you who have left me such lovely comments recently, they are a pleasure to read. Especially the ones congratulating me on my Engagement! I'm sorry that I don't always get time to repay the favour so I just wanted to make sure that you all know how grateful I really am :)

I managed to find sometime yesterday to make a quick card that is suitable for this time of year for two reasons. The first - It's a Thank You card which is just what you need to say thank you for Christmas Presents. The second is that I have used scrap bits of papers so instead of them going into the bin, they're put to use!

I have used a sentiment from one of the Paper Smooches Stamp sets. Along with scrap bits from one of my fave Paper Pads atm 'Tis the Season' by Echo Park.


I have also used 2 types of Embellishments that we have in the shop which I think are great for those finishing touches!


Remember you can click any of those photo's of the products I used to go straight to them on the website.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:
SIMON SAYS STAMP - BLING IT ON
CUTE CARD THURSDAY - ANYTHING GOES
WILD ORCHID CRAFTS - ANYTHING GOES




INGREDIENTS -
Paper Smooches 'Salutations' Stamp Set
Echo Park 'Tis The Season' Paper Pad
Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts
£1 MMCS Embellishment Packs
Collall All Purpose Glue & Ranger Glossy Accents


INKS USED -
Archival Ink - Jet Black

Thanks for popping by,
HAPPY CRAFTING!
NATALIE
XXX

26/12/2013

A Special Christmas...

Good Morning!
Did you all have a special Christmas Day? I do hope so! As for mine the food didn't go totally to plan but it was still a lovely day and there was one particular reason why this was ...


I just had to share the news with you all as I am over the moon!
HAPPY CRAFTING!
XXX

25/12/2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


I hope you all have a lovely day ahead of you planned and got everything you wanted off Father Christmas!
For those of you who find a minute or two to go online I thought I would share some photo's of the gorgeous Christmas Cards I received this year. I certainly was a lucky girl!



Last night I thought I would try and get ahead with some bits for tomorrow, such as setting the table...


Preparing the 'Starter' of Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese, Black Pepper and Crackers. Of course I had to test a few whilst I was making them to ensure they were edible ;)


I also had to Marzipan and Ice the Cake. There icing has Gold Glitter on top incase you were wondering why it was a bit dis-coloured! lol


Of course it wouldn't be Christmas without a peek of what was under the tree last night!


Enjoy the rest of your Christmas!
HAPPY CRAFTING!
XXX

24/12/2013

Papertake Weekly - Pick Of The Year!

Good Morning!
I can't believe it is Christmas Eve already! Even though I have been planning it in my head for ages it feels like it has crept up on me really quickly! Today I need to Marzipan & Ice the Cake, make some Gingerbread Men, labels some gifts and most likely remember something I have forgotten about at the last minute! Tomorrow should be interesting too as I am cooking the Christmas dinner at my house for both me & Andy and my parents for the first time!

Onto something a little calmer and this week's challenge at PAPERTAKE WEEKLY is Pick Of The Year! All you have to do is simply pick your favourite theme from 2013. I have chosen one from all the way back in January called Baby It's Cold Outside! As you can see I have also used one of my favourite colour combos at the moment.
I also used the technique of Sticky Embossing Powder & Distress Glitter but as usual the photograph didn't pick up the sparkle very well at all!

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:
ALLSORTS - BROWN WITH BLUE
INKY CHICKS - CHRISTMAS
SIMON SAYS STAMP - BLING IT ON
DEEP OCEAN CHALLENGE - SOMETHING OLD
(Old - Rubber Stamp & Distressed technique used)
SKETCH SATURDAY - SKETCH





 INGREDIENTS -
Penny Black Stamp
LOTV Papers
Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts
Glittered Snowflake
Cheesecloth, Ribbon, Wooden Heart, Dew Drops & Glitter
Ranger Glossy Accents & PVA Glue
Tim Holtz Paper Distressing Tool


INKS USED -
Distress Ink - Frayed Burlap

Thanks for popping by, I shall pop by again tomorrow to say Happy Christmas and to share the delightful Christmas Cards I received this year along with some festive snaps!
HAPPY CRAFTING!
XXX

22/12/2013

My Favourite 5 Christmas Creations!


Good Morning!
Today I wanted to share with you my favourite 5 Christmas Creations that I have made in 2013. I started doing this a few years ago as my fellow PBSC Teamie Debbie gave me the idea and also holds a Giveaway for those who join in!


As always it's tricky choosing just 5 but I managed to narrow it down and here is what I chose ...

This card you will recognise as the most recent as I only shared it on my blog on Thursday. However I just love the colour scheme with the papers I chose and this is my favourite stamp from the 2013 Magnolia Christmas collection.

This card is from back in July when I was a Guest Designer for LOTV! The image is such a cutie and the card is full of sparkle!

This card is using a larger stamp by Penny Black that I coloured with Distress Markers. I love the traditional feel of this card.


Next up is another Penny Black card using one of their cuter style stamps. I have to say that I much more prefer their older stamps, especially the Christmas ones. I finally bought this stamp this year and teamed it with this gorgeous colour scheme.

Last up is another PB card but this time it's in the style of Clean & Simple. I love this style for quick cards that need making and adding some Distress Glitter to the image for a finishing touch of sparkle is a great finishing touch!

Well I hope you all enjoyed a look at my Top 5 Christmas Creations!
HAPPY CRAFTING!
XXX