Going Green

Friday at last, my friends, and what a week it has been! I'm really looking forward to a lazy weekend.... and some good weather. But I'll settle for a relaxing weekend. Here's a green birthday card I made for my friend. She works for our local recycling agency. You think she'll approve?  ;-)

Dabbling in CAS again. For the background I used Clearly Besotted's Leafy Accents and Versacolor Sage.  The central panel I used CB's Geometric Style and Versacolor Tropical Green and Bamboo. 

The sentiment is from WMS Compact Sentiments stamped with Memento Northern Pine. To finish, some sheer green ribbon and  3 green bling.

I liked the background stamping in the front and decided to take it inside too.

You'll find this card at these challenges:

Tuesday Morning Sketches #232: Sketch + Monochromatic Twist - greens
Make It Monday 174: AG
WMS Fanatics #9: Fabric - ribbon
Milk & Coffee: Monochromatic - greens
Scrapbooker PhD #6: Use Stamps (at least 2)
Sieze The Birthday: Colouring (optional)
Brown Sugar Challenge #77: AG
Sister Act Challenge #40: AG

Thanks for stopping by today. The weather here is abysmal. It's cold and there is ice everywhere. Throw an extra log in the fire and hang on to your hot water bottle. That's what I plan to do. See you tomorrow with some exciting news...(well, it's exciting for me!)

Beijinhos!

Polka Doodles Tutorial: Bookmark

Good morning, crafty friends. Today I have a cute little project to share with you which you can make for yourself or as a gift for someone. It's simple, does not require any fancy tools AND you can use up your scraps.

So let's get started:

1. You will need a large (at least 2") paper clip (coated or uncoated), 4 punched / die-cut circles and a few flowers. 

You can use die-cut / hand-cut flowers or ready made flowers. I'm using these spiral flowers from Polka Doodles new Dollie Daydream Girl Talk CD.

2. If you're using spiral flowers, roll them up as shown below. Remember these are going on a paper clip, so roll 'em tight and don't make them too big.

3. Next, using some tacky glue ( eg Tombow), adhere the leaves to one of the round bases. Make sure the leaves are on the top half only so that they show on the outer edge of the book.... it being a bookmark! ;-)

4. Then, slap on the smaller circle and just wait a couple of minutes for the glue to dry a little. 

5. When it's firm to the touch, add more glue and arrange your rolled flowers and any other embellishments.  I used 3 spiral roses form Polka Doodles Dollie Daydream Girl Talk Build a Fleur and added some ribbon and a few bling to fill in the gaps. 

6. Take your large paperclip and attach it to the other round base. I'm using a large glue dot. You can also use hot glue. Wet glue is not advisable because you want the base to be firm, dry strong enough to hold the weight of the posy.    

7. Attach the posy to the paper clip base.

 8. This is what it looks like from behind. Adhere the smaller circle to reinforce base.  

9. And here it is in action. Now you see why I said keep the leafy arrangement on the top half! 

That's a fun little project and pretty any-occasion gift. I hope you'll give it a go and use up all those bits and bobs you've got lying about the craft room floor. AND it's the perfect excuse to buy the Dollie Daydream Girl Talk CD!

Taking my bookmark to these challenges:

Make It Monday #174: AG
2 Creative Chicks #10: AG
All Crafts Dec / Jan: Anything But a Card
Artistic Inspiration #74: AG Feminine
Crafting From The Heart #4: AG
Creative Creations: AG Handmade
Lexi's Creations: AG
Crafting by Designs: Flowers

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope your day is filled with sunshine and pretty flowers.

Beijinhos!

Love-ly Monday

Hello there! It's time for our weekly Monday meet-up. I'll keep it brief today....it's been a crazy ol' day so far and I'm not crossing off items from my to-do list as fast as I'd hoped. Still, mustn't complain - I did find the time to craft!

I made a lovey-dovey card. It's not for my husband. No sir! He conveniently kicked his socks under the bed this morning, which Peanut discovered and... the fate of those socks were sealed. Remember what happened to our Christmas tree? Enough said. So, no card for hubby, no cookie for Peanut and time out for both. Instead, I'm sending this card off to my sister. She doesn't leave her socks lying about the house.

The papers are from Papermania's Parkstone Pink 6x6 pad. 
I wrapped some sheer white ribbon across the horizontal panel. 

The stamp butterfly and sentiment are from Clearly Besotted's Butterfly Additions set, 
which I heat embossed onto vellum with fine white EP.  I cut the vellum with SB Elegant Oval 
die and inked the edges with TH Spun Sugar. I also went to town with some bling.

On the inside I stamped a butterfly border with Versamagic Baby Pink.

Why don't you join me in these challenges too:

Mojo Monday #328 - sketch
Clearly Besotted Challenge #7: Love
Make It Monday #174: AG
Bunny Zoe's Crafts January Challenge: Stitching
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge #2: AG
Cupcake Inspiration #243: Photo Inspiration - colours, sparkly bling
Allsorts Challenge #241: Use Ribbon, No Bows
Crafty Catz #213: Pretty In Pink

Thanks for stopping by today. I'm off too see to dinner...feeling so uninspired today. Must be the cold yucky weather. I hope the sun is shining where you are. Have a lovely Monday!

Beijinhos!

Polka Doodles #02: Girly, Girly, Girly

Good morning, friends, and welcome to another PolkaDoodle challenge. Have you seen the new Dollie Daydream Girl Talk? No? What are you waiting for? Head on over to the Polka Doodles Online Store and take a look at this super pretty collection. It has everything close to a girl's heart - including a 15% discount on selected items store-wide! But hurry, this sweet deal will not last forever!

Back in the real world, the theme over at Polka Doodles challenge blog this week is "Girly, Girly, Girly" or you could also opt for "Anything Goes".

Here's the card I made fro my friend's daughter. She'll be celebrating her 18th birthday at the end of the month and this Fashion Diva is rather partial to shopping. (Aren't they we all at that any age!) Polka Doodles' stylish new Dollie Daydream Girl Talk Collection has all I need to make this dream card for her.

 I made a 6" square card with papers, sentiments and pre-coloured digis from the Dollie Daydream Girl Talk CD - perfect for when you need a card in an instant!

For embellies I used bling and some polkadot ribbon. The card is almost flat and perfect for sending by mail

 Here is the inside. This CD has so many cute elements and witty sentiments - you'll be spoilt for choice.

I'm grabbing my bag and brolly and heading off to these linky parties:

Make It Monday #173: AG

4 Crafty Chicks #176: Bows

In The Pink: AG With Pink

Sisterhood of Crafters: Out With Old, In With The New - new digi collection

Digi Stamps For Joy #83: Glitter and Sparkle

Crafter's Cafe #45: AG

Crafting For All Seasons #68: All Things Bright And Beautiful

Word Art Wednesday #114: AG Inspirational

Now it's your turn. Create something girly and anything gorgeous. The winner will get some delicious downloads worth £10 from the Polka Doodles Online Store, but make sure your project is linked up at the Polka Doodles Challenge Blog by Noon (GMT) on Sunday 19th January.  

That's all from me today. Thanks for stopping by and, together with the rest of the DT, I'll be around to take a peek at your creations. Have a crafty little Friday!

Beijinhos!

Tuesday Throwdown #177: Snowman Fun

Woohoo! The Tuesday Throwdown gang is back! Have you missed us? Judging from the number of entries we've had in our last challenge, I'd say very much so! Well, fret no more, my friends. We are back!

This week we are continuing the winter theme. Sure, Christmas is over, but have you seen the amount of snow and ice outside. Well, what are you waiting for? Let's make the best of this polar vortex and have some SNOWMAN FUN.

This week, the good folks at Robyn's Fetish have graciously and generously given the DT a few gorgeous digis to play with. For my card, I chose this chubby little fella called "Snow Days Are Fun". It's an all purpose, any occasion card.... meaning I haven't yet decided what to do with it. But it was such a treat to make.

Keeping the colours simple, I've gone with blues and reds. This card is all about the chubby little guy, so no fancy patterned papers or layering etc. I embossed the background with Darice Snowflakes folder and very lightly, I stamped teeny tiny snowflakes in the spaces between and around the image. I used VersaMagic Baby Blue Chalk Ink.

Here's a closer look at the not-so-little guy. I coloured him with Promarkers and cut and layered with SB Oval and Scalloped Oval die. Then I dotted around with Blue Liquid Pearls, and tied a bow with red and blue twine.

How about you join me in some snowman fun:

Make It Monday #173: AG
Artistic Inspirations Challenge #73: AG
Card In Envy: Snow Buddy Like You
Craftin' Desert Dive #22: Winter
Creative Creations: AG
Kaboodle Doodle #205: Let It Snow
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Blues
Stamp And Create January Challenge: Winter Wonderland

Now it's your turn, my friends. Create a snow themed project and link it up over that the Tuesday Throwdown Challenge blog. Looking forward to seeing your work!

That's all from me today. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by. It's very cold out there, so wrap up warm and  stay safe!

Beijinhos!

Thinking About You

Very quick post from me, my friends. I made this card to give a dear friend who is in hospital with respiratory issues. She's a delicate flower, a fru-fru girly girl and a chipped nail  would have her breathing into a paper bag.

Ok, enough chit chat, here is my frilly card for my feminine friend:

For the background, I used the polka dot stamp from  Clearly Besotted's background Builder set and VersaMagic Pink chalk ink. With the same ink I stamped the butterflies from Clearly Besotted's Butterfly Additions onto vellum and added a clear bling in the middle of each.  To finish, shear white ribbon tied in a bow.
   

The greeting is from WMS Fancy Phrases, stamped with Versafine Onyx Black directly onto the patterned paper called "Confetti" by Papermania.   

The sentiment is from WMS Say It Loud stamped with Versafine Onyx Black.

Now how about you join me in these challenges:

Mojo Monday #327: Sketch
The Shabby Tea Room #200: So Romantic - photo inspiration + roses
Make It Monday #173: AG
Challenges 4 Everybody #37: AG
Glitter And Sparkle #66: AG
CRAFT Challenge #240: AG
Really Reasonable Ribbons #86: Pink + Ribbon


That's all from me today. Thanks for dropping by. Swing by tomorrow, if you can, for a brand new Tuesday Throwdown Challenge. Until then, have a beautiful Monday!

Beijinhos!

Christmas Card Club #1: Anything Goes

Happy Sunday, my friends. Today, our RC Church is celebrating the Feast of Epiphany. Technically it's tomorrow, January 6th, but in Portugal we celebrate it on the Sunday closest to it between 2nd and 8th of the month.

Here, Epiphany is known as Dia dos Reis (Day of Kings) when the Magi (The Three Kings) visited Baby Jesus bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  We celebrate it by eating Bolo Rei (King Cake), a rich bread-like cake filled with fruits and nuts. It's a day of feasting with family and friends. So, what better day to kick off the first Christmas Card Challenge for 2014 with a theme chosen by Sylvie.

Here's my card, depicting the journey of the Three Kings.

I was inspired by the carol "We Three Kings".  The papers are by Kaiser Craft Vintage Christmas and I chose traditional colours for this card. The image is from Chocolate Baroque's "Following Yonder Star" stamp set.

All I did was heat emboss the image in black. Then I did some light inking with TH's Antique Lace for the sand and Faded Jeans for the night sky. On the stars I adhered some tiny gold bling.  

The sentiment inside is from Chocolate Baroque's Warm Christmas Greetings, stamped with Versafine Black Onyx.

I'm taking my card to the following challenges:

Christmas Card Challenges #6: No Colouring
Christmas Cards All Year 'Round: AG
CHNC January: AG
Crafty Calendar Challenge: Let's Celebrate - Epiphany
Jingle Belles: Something Old, Something New - Old: Kaiser Craft Papers; New: Stamp arrived yesterday!
Word Art Wednesday #113: AG Inspirational
Make It Monday #173: AG
The Glory Of Christmas: Three Kings

Epiphany also marks the end of Christmastide and tomorrow we take down the festive decorations. This year we've had a some help in that department. Our little elf has decided to get a head start on things. This is what our tree (what's left of it) looked like yesterday afternoon:

Santa flat out (how did he get there?!), broken baubles, tinsel & lights all over the place AND a black pig!  Wonder who's behind this hot mess?!

The angel had taken a 90º nose drive. She's made of porcelain and is hanging on to dear life! 

By the evening we kissed and made up. Here is hubby engaged in a reconciliatory cheek to cheek with the culprit, Peanut. How can this 7kg (15.5 lb) shortcake cause such chaos?!  I didn't bother putting the tree back in order...not on the last day. Needless to say, it will be the subject of Peanut's First Christmas....for many years to come. 

Rosie waiting in line for the next dance!

Have a blessed day my friends. I hope you will be showered with gifts of good health, peace and love all year long.

Beijinhos!

Blue Birthday

Brand new year, brand new month. And how's it going so far? Creatively speaking, not good. I'm in a rut, my mojo is still AWOL and I simply cannot get my crafty groove on. It took me forever to make this simple, and I mean mind numbingly simple, birthday card. I'm hoping this will scare my mojo back into action... maybe...perhaps....oh please come back!

The background paper is from Papermania's Liquorice Sherbert. I added a scalloped border in turquoise and some twine for a pop of colour. Although this  card is for a man, I decided to add some a few tiny blue bling.   

The greeting is from Clearly Besotted's It's Your Birthday, stamped with Versacolor Turquoise and layered on grey CS cut with SB Scalloped Rectangle.  The party hat is also from the same stamp set, stamped with Memento London Fog and Versacolor Turquoise.

Taking my card to these linky parties. Join me?

Color Throwdown #273 - colours
Charisma Cardz: Birthdays
Sieze The Birthday: AG + Numbers Topping - without topping
Crafting By Design: AG
Creative Knock Out #18: All That Glitters - blue bling
Make It Monday #172: AG

That's all from me today. Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope 2014 starting well for you. I'm off to bed now. Being un-creative is exhausting! :-)

Beijinhos!