Tuesday 31 May 2011

Teddy Bo Tuesday Challenge and DT call

Welcome to this week's Teddy Bo Tuesday, it's challenge time again and the theme this week is
Shaped Cards
no squares or rectangles allowed, and your card must contain a Teddy Bo and Co image. We are also on the look out for some new design team members to join us at Teddy Bo towers. If you love the bears and want to be part of our fabulous family then enter this week's challenge and add the letters DT next to your name so that we know you would like to be considered.


We are being sponsored for this challenge by Crafts 4 you, so you also have the chance to win three sets of digi-sentiments.


as well as the usual Teddy Bo trio for the winner and 1 image for each of the runners up.


New in store this week

My card for this challenge has been made using one of this week's new digis, Teddy Bo Number Two.


 I enlarged the digi stamp to DL size, coloured in Photoshop and printed, I also printed the reverse of the card, so when its folded the inside is decorated. I then folded and cut through the two layers to make the shaped card.I printed the design a couple of times and then layered up using foam pads. The paw print paper used on the number two and inside came from Nitwits Farley and Friends Kit, and the little bear charm (dangling from balloons) and the polka dot ribbon are from Mei Flower.









Don't forget to check out the new images in store and if you want a chance to join the Design Team, then get your entry into the challenge with DT next to your name. Good luck!


Oooooh...nearly forgot to show you my Teddy Bo umbrella, had it made especially using images and sentiment from a card I made a while back, also used some of Claire's doodled papers for the background.
What do you think, it's fab isn't it?!?!?!


I'm going to enter my card into the following challenges:

Cards For Men - must be masculine - no design papers
Craft Your Passion - What a Guy
KB Cute Monday - Anything Goes
Make it Monday - Always anything goes
Ooh La La Creations - Happy Birthday
Pollycraft  - Teddy Bears
Scrappy Frogs  - Birthdays

Friday 27 May 2011

Polkadoodles Birthday Blog Hop

Happy 3rd birthday Polkadoodles and a big welcome to the birthday blog hop, if you arrived here from D'Annes  blog then you are heading in the right direction.

Let me tell you about our challenge with a twist on the Polkadoodle blog. This week we are looking for
Male Themed
cards or projects but you need to follow the hop in order (so start at the Polkadoodles blog) and collect the word from each member's blog, write the words down as you go, and at the end you will have a message giving you more instructions for the challenge.
Each stop along the way has blog candy, leave a comment on each of the Design Team posts in the hop to be in with a chance of winning their candy.
The blog hop will end on Sunday 5th June at 12 noon GMT (as per normal challenge deadline), but as I will be on holiday until the 11th mine will be drawn once I get back.

Nikky has given me a Double Sprinkles of Kraft CD to give away to the winner, I have also added a few extra bits myself.





My card for this weeks challenge is a stair stepper card using the Fathers Day/Family Download kit. I printed the letters out and used them as templates so that I could cut them out of some of the patterned papers in the kit. I attached a letter to each step to spell out the word dad. I also used a couple of the sentiment panels from the download, a verse I found somewhere on the internet, a couple of brads and a little touch of gold glitter.





Now back to what you really came for, my word is

Special

just like me LOL!

You need to go and pay Ruth a visit now to collect the next word and continue with the hop, if you get lost along the way just head back to the Polkadoodles blog for the full list.
 Have fun!
Don't forget the challenge ... join in... we love seeing your creations!


Tuesday 24 May 2011

Another Tuesday, another Teddy Bo card.

After a lovely break last week in Gloucester, with a visit to Bath and Blenheim palace, I am now running around trying to catch my tail, wasn't even sure I was going to have a Teddy Bo card done this week, but I managed it by the skin of my teeth. I love colouring and using the teddies, so thought I must make the effort.

When I first joined the Teddy Bo design team I seemed to mainly use Bea, being girly, dressing as a fairy and looking so pretty, she was my kind of digi, but looking back over the last few posts I seem to have become a Bo groupie LOL! I think for the last four tuesdays I have used Bo, and nothing is going to change this week as here he is again.


This week I decided to finally have a go at one of these new style easel cards that are everywhere you look, I loved easel cards anyway, but these double and triple ones that are around now just add a bit of something extra.
I have used one of the new images that are available in store now. Bo is coloured in photoshop, as usual LOL!, the word dad is paper pieced (digitally) and the card is decorated with digi papers and a circle frame from the Clipart Fairy's Boys will be boys kit. Everything is popped up with foam pads, (I love a bit of dimension in my cards). Ribbon and buttons are from stash and the poem was picked up on one of my many journeys around the WWW.






What do you think of his belt buckle it has his name engraved onto it?!

Check out the new images in store, there are some really gorgeous ones ( I think I say that every week LOL!), that you won't want to miss, and you still have until Sunday midnight (GMT) to enter our challenge which is all about Bo this time around.

I am entering this card into the following challenges

Lexi's Creations  - Spots and/or stripes
Make it Monday - Always anything goes
Ooh La La Creations - Fancy folds
Stamps R Us - Goin Digital - use something digi
Paper Sundaes  -  Pop it up
Pile It On - Use a bear
2 Sisters - #40 Use A Digi
Catch The Bug -  Summer Celebrations
Crazy 4 Challenges - #C4C88 Humour
Crafty Calendar -  Teddy Bears

Monday 23 May 2011

Blog candy Winner

The winner of my blog candy is
Sandiblu

As I don't have access to a random integer thingy I used a random child, well not that random actually, it's my grandson Will, who has been very excited about picking the name out since I asked him if he would do it a fortnight ago. We have just been to one of those 3D/4D baby scans to see if Will is going to be getting a new baby brother or sister, and he was more excited about drawing a name than he was about the baby LOL!, it's a boy by the way.

Here are some photos of Will doing the draw.
Shaking up the names

picking a winner


...and the winner is...

Well done Sandiblu, hard luck everyone else, but don't worry, there will be a chance to win more candy on Friday as Polkadoodles are having a blog hop, so be sure to come back then.

Friday 20 May 2011

Anything but a card

This weeks challenge on the Polkadoodles blog was chosen by Fliss and is

Anything But a Card

So lets see what else all you talented crafters out there can make other than cards.

My project this week is a little concertina folder that has a sheet for each month of the year for jotting down important dates. The paper and sentiment panel came from the Candy Doodles CD, and the stamps from the Magic Neighbours Stamp Set, coloured with Promarkers. I used Stick It magnetic tape to hold the folder closed. Ribbon embellishment came from stash.
The pages were made up on the computer, printed and cut out, then I stamped a whole or part image on each page using different stamps from the set. The little pockets that the pages sit in are made from some old envelopes that got damp and the flaps stuck down, so I cut them in half and then joined them together with double sided tape to make the concertina.






Head over to the Polkadoodles blog and check out all the fabulous inspiration from my other teamies.

Thursday 19 May 2011

Once upon a time...

.... there was a beautiful princess, who lived in a sweet little castle.


When I saw this castle in the Princess Rosey digi stamp set at the Clipart Fairy store I knew it would be perfect for a side stepper card.  I paper pieced most of the castle using papers from the Ice Queen Papers set, just colouring in the swags and roses. I layered up the front section and the roof of the castle. The princess sign comes in the digi stamp set and  I used another of the ice queen papers on that. There is a princess that comes in the set too, but I also had the Princess Heart set, which are ready coloured so decided to use one of them. I printed out a plain lemon paper from the Beautiful baby boy set and one of the ice queen papers to use as backing papers. I embossed the lemon paper with the Craft Too daisies embossing folder and glamour dusted the pattern on the lilac ice queen paper. I made the happy birthday panel myself with paper from the same set. I mounted all my pieces, added tiny nail art crystals to the crown, silver glitter to the word princess, a few crystals on the happy birthday panel and some gold glitter and glamour dust to the princess. As usual with this type of card I added a gusset to stop the card from splaying open and placed the message panel on the back.

 I love the way it turned out.
I have turned this card into a kit which is available to buy from the Clipart Fairy's Printables store

While you're here if you haven't already done so don't forget to add a comment to my birthday blog candy post, link in sidebar, for a chance of winning a fab selection of goodies, there's only a few more days to go before I pick out a winner.


Here are the challenges I am going to enter this card into:

ABC Challenge - U is for Unusual Fold

Creative Card Crew - Cute & Girly

Divas by Design -  #2 For the Girls

Penny's Paper-Crafty - #53 Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp - Sparkle & Shine
Truly Scrumptious - #57 Anything Goes

A Spoonful Of Sugar - #152 Anything Goes

Claudia & Co - #82 Girls Birthday Card

Paper and Such Design - #1 - Birthday Card

Tuesday Throwdown - #49 Baby/Child

Tuesday 17 May 2011

It's all about Bo!

This week over on the Teddy Bo challenge blog we have decided to give Teddy Bo the starring role so our theme for this challenge is:
Teddy Bo only

This time around we would like to see your cards or projects that contain only Teddy Bo, if you are stuck for ideas then pop over to the challenge blog and check out the inspiration from my fellow design team members, you won't be disappointed.

For this challenge we are being sponsored by Bearly Mine Designs

Bearly Mine Designs


Here's my card for this week, by the way Teddy Bo is holding his golf bat he obviously knows as much about golf as I do LOL!







I have used one of the brilliant new Bo images, and made a sort of swingy type card. I coloured the image in photoshop, and paper pieced the golf bag with a paper from the Clipart Fairy's Chalky Checks Teal set. The card is decorated with papers from the same set and the Golf sentiment is a freebie from TLC Creations. The ribbon is from stash, as is the little gold golf bat and, ball and tee charm, which I have had for so long I have no idea where they came from. 
As usual with my cards the whole thing folds flat enough to fit into an envelope.

Make sure you head over to the store and check out all the fabulous new Bo digis.
Still a few days left to enter my blog candy giveaway, just click on the pic in the side bar and leave me a comment.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Make it Monday - Always anything goes
Stamps R Us - Goin Digital - use something digi
Stamping Vacation - for a Golfer
One Stitch At A Time - Anything Goes
Crafty Calendar -  Teddy Bears

Saturday 14 May 2011

Just Hangin' Around!

I seemed to have lost this post yesterday with all the problems with blogger so thought I would re-post it today, as I have it linked to a few challenges.

Only a few more days until I reach my half a century, starting to get quite excited now! and if you haven't entered yet go and click the pic at the top of the side panel for a chance to win my Birthday Blog Candy.

I've had a bit of a manic card making week as I am trying to get all next weeks design team work done before I go away on Monday for a few days, just about on top of it now, only one more card to finish. On saturday I'm off to a Clipart Fairy card workshop, then sunday is the big day, so I'm planning on relaxing with friends and family, opening pressies, drinking wine, eating cake and (hopefully) lots of chocolate, yummy!

Today's card is made using Urban Roundabout papers 1  and Say it in a frame Boy 1 graphic from the Clipart Fairy. I loved the cute image of the boy peeking over the frame with his legs dangling, as soon as I saw it I knew that I would have to make a card where his legs would actually dangle, (I just had to didn't I? LOL!) and they definitely do! They are attached to the back of the frame with a brad and swing from side to side. The frame is held away from the back of the card so he really is hanging around, but the whole thing folds flat enough to go in an envelope.

 



I'm really sorry about the quality of the photos, we had terrible problems taking them last night, hubby has got a new sooper dooper SLR camera, with all the bells and whistles, unfortunately he doesn't know how to ring or blow them all yet LOL!, then on top of that he has a portable photo studio thing (technical term - hehe!) that he takes the pics in, it has a light either side, well, he only went and knocked one of the lights off the table and broke the bulb, so he couldn't get the lighting right, but hopefully you get the idea.



Don't forget to click the pic in the sidebar or here and enter my blog candy giveaway.

Challenges I am going to enter with this card:

Paper and Such Design - #1 - Birthday Card

Crazy Challenge - Anything Goes

KB Cute Monday - Anything goes - using a digi

Simon Says Stamp and Show... - Anything Goes

Stamps R Us - Masculine

Come and Get It Challenges - Birthdays

Friday 13 May 2011

Polkadoodles Challenge - Finally!

Well blogger is fixed and I was lucky to have only lost one post, I know some people lost quite few.


Anyway here are the details of this weeks Polkadoodles challenge.


It was my turn to set the challenge this week and as it is my birthday on Sunday I decided to do a
Menu Choice
challenge, giving a list of some of my favourite things to choose from to make your card or project so that I would get to see lots of lovely creations that I am going to love!


You can choose one thing from each section, but whichever one you choose, you can't use the other on your card at all.


Image - Fairy or Butterfly
Colour - Pink or Turquoise
Embellishment 1 - Ribbon or Lace
Embellishment 2 - Pearls or Gems.


Now don't be greedy remember its one thing only from each section, for example if you pick ribbon then there cannot be any lace on your card.


For my card I chose Turquoise (my favouritist!?!?) colour, Butterfly, Ribbon and Gems.
The butterfly comes from the Sundae of Seasons CD rom and the paper and sentiment from All Around and Everywhere. Glitter, ribbon and gems are from stash. I used a Go Kreate die to create the shape of the card, printed the butterfly out twice, once on vellum, then shaped the wings and layered them up, I finished off with glitter around all the edges of the paper, the butterflies wings and even inside the card.









Check out the Polkadoodles challenge blog to see what items my fellow design team members chose and have a look at their fabulous creations.


Click on the picture in the side bar to enter my Blog Candy Giveaway and be in with the chance of winning some fab goodies, you have until midnight Sunday 22nd May to enter and I will be drawing the winner on Monday 23rd May.

I will be entering this card into the following challenges:


  • Crafty Creations - #118 Anything Goes

  • Digistamps 4 Joy - #18 Celebration

  • Divas by Design - Anything goes

  • Penny's Paper-Crafty -Anything Goes

  • Claudia & Co - Butterflies

  • Paper and Such Design - Birthday Card

  • Sweet Stamps  - Butterflies

  • Use It Tuesdays - Bling


  • Tuesday 10 May 2011

    Teddy Bo Tuesday.

    It's here again, another Teddy Bo Tuesday, and once again Gayle has been slaving over a hot pencil and come up with some fabulous new images. Check them out below, I love, love, love the fairy tale images, although I haven't had a chance to play with them yet, Bea rocking the baby is soooo cute, and Bo in the hammock, well that's just typical Bo LOL!


    This week I have used Bo in his Big Tie (TeddyBo-075). He is coloured in photoshop as usual and I have paper pieced his jumper and tie with papers from Nitwits Eerie-sistable Collection, in fact all the papers I have used on the card come from the same collection. I also added some digital stitching around the patterned squares and some purple glitter dots around the card, (wouldn't really be a Colette card without glitter now would it?!) I made some ties from the papers and used them on the insert, I also added a verse that I found somewhere on the net a while ago, not sure where now.




    Don't forget you still have until Sunday midnight to enter the Teddy Bo Easel card challenge, and for any Teddy Bo fans out there (and anyone else LOL!) check out my blog candy post here.


    These are the challenges I am going to enter my card into:

    Cards For Men - must be masculine - for Someone Special
    Craft Your Passion - Check it out (use checks, plaids or gingham)
    Pollycraft - Boyz to Men (masculine)
    Stamps R Us - Masculine
    There She Goes - Inspiration Photo
    The Ribbon Reel - Use one or more from: Red, blue, yellow and Green
    Sentimental Sundaysmust include a Sentiment - Anything goes
    Card Makin' Mamas - For a loved one
    Digi's With Attitude! - Make us laugh with funny sentiments

    Sunday 8 May 2011

    Birthday Blog Candy and a Scarecrow!

    On sunday 15th May I will be celebrating my birthday, it's one of those milestone ones, you know the kind with a big fat zero on the end.
    It's lucky that I am not precious about my age as my grandson Will has told everyone he's met - since about January - that his nanny Col will be half of a hundred on her birthday, but he's only half of ten (he will be lucky to reach half of twelve LOL!). Don't you just love kids!

    Anyway to celebrate reaching the half of a hundred (LOL!) milestone,  I thought I would offer some Birthday Blog Candy, it will run from today until Midnight on Sunday 22nd May. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is leave me a birthday message in the comments section of this post.
    I will put all the names into a draw and announce the winner on Monday 23rd (evening), so don't forget to check back then just in case it's you!





    I am lucky enough to be on the design teams of some lovely and very generous designers who have all donated something to my candy.
    Nikky - Polkdoodles - Double Sprinkles of Kraft CD rom
    Wendy - Clipart Fairy - Creative Card Fronts CD rom
    Gayle - Teddy Bo and Co - not shown but winner will receive, a mounted hand drawn trio by the artist herself and a Teddy Bo Trio download from her store.

    Also included will be a Teddy Bea shopping tote, and a Teddy Bea watch (these are items I have had printed myself) along with various embellishments.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    My local council hold a lot of events in the parks around the borough for people to get involved in, they vary from hedgerow surveys, mini beast hunts, planting hanging baskets, bowls taster sessions, building bird boxes, and crafts for kids (all free of charge). I have a park right in front of my house so don't have far to go to join in with whatever is going on there. Yesterday I took Will to a scarecrow making workshop. All materials are provided, so Will could pick from a variety of different things to make his scarecrow. This is what we ended up with.

    He insisted that it had shorts and a scarf, he also seemed to have a penchant for pom-poms and wanted to stick them everywhere, I had to curtail him as best I could, oh and his favourite colour is green, hence green top, arms and hair.

    Don't forget to leave your comment to be in with a chance of winning the candy.

    Sock Drawer!

     
    I found this little digi stamp set at the Clipart Fairy,

    they looked so sweet and were just begging to be coloured.

    I have used the little girl to make this drawer easel card, which contains a little pair of socks for the recipient, I also made a matching gift box.


    I coloured the digi stamp in photoshop and used papers from the sweet candy pack (one of my favourites) to make up the card and box. The little girl is layered up (about 5 layers in total) to give a real 3D effect.I also made a little pocket and tag for the inside, to add a message. The little dummy came from Mei Flower and the ribbon, pearls and brad are from stash. As usual my Sakura quickie glue pen and glamour dust came in for a hammering as there is lots of sparkle, which doesn't show up too well in the photos.







    I will be back later with details of some fabulous blog candy that I will be giving away, if you are a Clipart Fairy, Polkadoodles or Teddy Bo fan then you won't want to miss it.

    ***Edited to add - check out my blog candy post here ***

    I am entering this project into the following challenges;
    Bee Crafty- must use a digi - Birthday for little ones
    Catch the Bug - anything goes
    One Stop Craft - Birthdays
    Crafty Ann's Challenge - Birthdays
    Prairie Fairy Fridays - For the girls
    Inspire me Fridays - anything goes

    Friday 6 May 2011

    Blast Off!

    It's Polkadoodles challenge time today, and this time around the theme is...

    Easel Cards

    Simple as that really, just show us your easel cards.

    I used paper and elements from the Paper Boutique III CD to make my flying rocket card.
    The rocket was printed out twice, I used a cocktail stick coloured black with Promarkers and stuck a small white bead over the pointy bit to make the rocket's nose. I glued both rockets together wedging the cocktail stick and a double layered strip of thick acetate between the two and used glossy accents on the rocket's windows. I cut the planet in half and used foam pads to stick the two halves together. I placed the pads down the sides and across the bottom, leaving a sort of wedge shape section in the middle padless. Before I stuck them together I attached the other end of the acetate strip to the centre of the back section with a brad. The little rocket can now 'fly' across the top of the planet. I finished it off using red glitter on the sentiment and the ring of the planet on the sentiment panel and a star shaped brad either side.

    To infinity and beyond! Well not quite but you get the idea LOL!




    Don't forget to head on over to the Polkadoodles challenge blog and check out all the fantastic easel cards made by the rest of the design team.

     I will be entering this card into the following challenges:

    Pixie Cottage - masculine
    Papertake Weekly - anything goes
    Top Tip Tuesday - anything goes
    Craft Your Passion - anything goes
    Theres Magic in the Air - birthday


    Tuesday 3 May 2011

    Teddy Bo Tuesday challenge #9

    Happy Teddy Bo Tuesday! hope you are all well, and everyone here in the UK is well rested after yet another long weekend. Where on earth did April go!

    This week the Teddy Bo challenge is....

    Easel Cards

    All you need to do this time is make an easel card using your favourite Teddy Bo or Bea image. This week we are being sponsored by Sentiments 4 you, the winner will receive a $10 gift certificate for Sentiments 4 You digi products available at http://sentiments4you.blogspot.com/  and http://www.crafts-4-you.co.uk/


    You must check out the Teddy Bo store, Gayle has excelled herself as usual, and there are some absolutely beautiful new images, including a new friend for Bo and Bea, with a little knitted hat, made by Bea.

    Here's a quick peek at this weeks new images

    For my card this week I used TeddyBo_066, coloured him in photoshop and paper pieced his hammock. All the papers used on my card and the sentiment circle are digis from The Clipart Fairy, the hammock is from this set here, the other papers and circle are from the Boys will be Boys set. The sentiment is a freebie from Create with TLC, which I dressed up using papers from the same set as the card.
    The hammock hangs away from the card and is attached with a brad so that it actually swings from side to side. The whole thing folds flat for posting.






    Don't forget to head over to the store and have a look at this weeks fabulous new images.

    I am going to enter this card in the following challenges;

    Bunny Zoe's Crafts - One for the boys
    The Crazy challenge - cards for men
    Stamps R Us - masculine
    Kenny K Crafty Girlz - Fathers day
    Sew many Cards - Easel cards
    Crafty Ann's - Fancy Folds
    Pear Tree Designs - Free for all