How To Eat An Elephant!!

Answers on a postcard please lol. Have you heard this one before. I always tell it to friends who are finding    a situation overwhelming. How do you eat an elephant...it's huge and solid, where do you start......well, it's one bite at a time the same as any other meal. 

This bookmark is a visual reminder for a dear friend. The background is covered in pink card with white Mulberry paper glued on top. I put it through a script embossing folder, glued folded pieces of ribbon around the back...putting another circle of card on the back to cover it. Then a row of pearls - coloured pink with blossom promarker - all around the edge. 

Ele is a Arthurs Clipart Digi, and coloured with Blossom and Dusky Pink Promarkers, and is wearing Cotton Candy Stickles on her toe nails. I've over the edge cut her with a nestie and outlined the nestie with Blossom promarker and Stickles 

The 'tuck into the book' part of the bookmark is cut using a Marianne Creatables 

and embossed with the same folder. 

The backing card is silver, embossed with a Cuttlebug folder 

and adorned with more Stickles. 

Sketch

Flourishes 

Challenges I'd like to enter  ...

Flourishes - Sketch

Karen's Doodles Netherlands -   Make a Bookmark 

Meljens Designs - Bookmark.

Challenge Up Your Life -  Bookmarks

Partytime Tuesdays - Anything Goes 

Alphabet Challenge - "Z" is for Zoo animals.

Little Miss Muffet Challenges - Die cuts and punches.

Mami Doodles -  Let's get girly.

Phindy’s Place - Glitter, glamour & glitz.

Wags 'n Whiskers -  Use die/punch.

Art Impressions Stamps Challenge - Use an animal on your card.

The Rubber Cafe - Mom or a special lady in your life.

I Love Promarkers - no DP

Stampavie and More -  pearls

CANDY Do you want extra entries

Here is a pic of the fancy pins and some of the crocheted elements. There will be more flowers than this, I'm still making them. They are made in a pale lemon. 

I've notice a couple of you have been kind enough to add my candy to your side bar or mention me in a post.
If you'd like to pop  back to my Candy Post you can find additional ways to get extra entries.

200 Followers & Freebie

Well, I've hit 200 followers, I was stuck at 198 for quite a while and thought I'd never get here lol.
Edited 
Well, what a lier I must look....someone has spring-cleaned me out of their life and I'm back down to 199 followers lol.

Will be back later with some candy. Thanks to all my lovely followers for getting me here, particularly my loyal followers and those who came from Momo.  Pop by and give Momo some love, she's awesome.

While you wait for candy, here is one of my hand drawn Medallions for you, hope you enjoy.

Please leave a comment if you take it, and direct others to my blog if they are interested. Please don't pass it off as your own. If you are a newbie...you just have to click on the pic, click again to enlarge and then right click to save. 

Ambers Crafts & Stuff #7 Use a Digi

This week at Ambers Crafts and Stuff we have Digi's With Attitude as our sponsor. We have kindly been given some Digi's to play with, but I've used one that I won in one of their challenges a few months ago. Angry Anabelle is one of their Animals with Attitude...they are all so amusing..I've just seen they have a giraffe which I had to get. 

This is a scrap-page of my Dog Roo. He's a cross West Highland Terrier/Bishon Frieze/Kangaroo....quite a potent mix as you can imagine. He's knows he's not allowed on the furniture...sometimes he's good enough to jump back down when he hears me coming downstairs on the stairlift (we have no carpets so hear his little claws) ...sometimes he waits till I get in the room lol. I was bought a magnet with a naughty dog lying amongst the mess he'd made and it says 'I understand, I just don't Care'. It sums Roo up perfectly lol.

Anabelle is coloured with Promarkers..Ice grey 5,3 & 1 for shading

 and Apricot and burnt orange for her bow. 

The border around Arabella is using a herringbone folder that I'd inked before putting through the machine. 

My Die cuts are Nesties Label 8. No idea where the brad from, been in stash way, way too long. 

I made a couple of backing papers using Digi's With Attitude Sentiments 'What Attitude' and Seriously!

This is the Sketch I based my page on. I had to fight with myself to leave so much white, but think the papers are busy enough...and look at all that space I have for journalling.  

Sketch by Sketchy Thursday. 

I'd like to enter the following challenges...

Sketchy Thursday - Sketch

Tip Top Tuesday - Squares 

My Time To Craft -  Perfect Pets

FanQ in an Off Centred Way

Less Is More this week want to see Off Center. I like off centre, but they also want balance...that's not so easy is it. This is my entry, for what it's worth. 

I've no idea where my stickers are from, no name on them..no functioning memory in my head...what can you do. I've filled the stickers with Glaze pens by Sakura, and added little blue faceted gems where ever there  was a circle for them to sit in.

Chrissie LIM suggested the greeting might look better inbetween the fans, as it was something I'd contemplated (dismissed thinking it would crowd it), I gave it a try. 

I'd like to enter the following...

Less Is More - Off Centre

Sparkles Forum - Anything Goes

Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes 

ABC Challenge - S is For Sparkle

Rosily Acetate

These look like two seperate cards don't they...the photo below is nearer the real colour - but I think the scan above shows the embossed acetate fairly well. I'm hoping it will be accepted as CAS because Less is More Blog is running a challenge to use acetate.....and it's taken me nearly all week to come up with this idea. Very quickly put together once I'd decided though. I'm please with how it turned out and I'm definitely going to make more like this. It's the first time I've used this embossing folder, I've had it a few month now. Nice to find a use for all the acetate I have packed away too. 

Receipe..

Embossing folder  - Hearts & Flowers Frame by Crafts.too

Ribbon - Marianne Designs

DP - Twelveby12 Flowers Collection

Acetate - Stash

I'd Like to enter the following :-

Less Is More ... Use Acetate

Sugar Creek Hollow ... Monochromatic

Cooking It Up With Katie ... Flowers, Pink, For a Lady

Simon Says Stamp ... Emboss It

Claudia & Company ... CAS

Amber's Crafts & Stuffs #6 Ribbons & Bow's

At Amber's Crafts & Stuff this week we are challenged to get out our ribbon and/or bows. Great challenge eh!! I know you all love your ribbons so come and join us here, and take a look at the inspiration from the rest of the design team.  

As you can plainly see, I through everything at this card. I turned up my pink girly girl meter and just went to town. The picture below show the bottom layer of the easel..a plain piece of card that swivels out on a brad...so plenty of room to write on. I saw this idea on Chocolate Crafts & Bears, Carol uses this a lot with her shaped easel cards and you can see an example here.  Her blog is quite inspiring so give yourself a treat and take a visit 

 The Image I used is again a Sugar Nellie Adorable, she's called Grace and no doubt you've seen her about other blogs..she's very popular.

Promarkers used..
Amethyst & Orchid; Ice Grey 1; Pastel & Rose pink, Carnation, Blossom, Dusky Rose & Cerise;
Tan & Vanilla for Skin;
Terracotta, Cinnamon & Cocoa for Hair.

Ci

I actually tied my bows free hand...but I tied them the same way you do using a bow maker - I think they turned out pretty much the same. I cant' remember where I saw the tutorial for adding ribbon around an image...I'm ashamed to say ...but I stuck it down with double sided and then put another circle behind it too to hold it all properly in place. 

 I have paper candy (as the packet calls it) all around the lower layer...they are like fake brads. I used quite a few die cuts on this didn't I !!

The sentiment is from a vellum quote book, and I dismantled an embellishment to use the little hugs and kisses charms...threading them through the bow on a swirled wire. 

My Receipe...

Image - Sugar Nellie

Colourants - Promarkers

Ribbons - Joycraft

Card Candy - Craftworks Cards 

Embossing Folder - Sizzex

Button Brad - V&A Hondoverian Epoxy Brads

Charms, Gems, Sentiment  - Stash

DP's - Craft Creations

I'd Like to Join in the Following challenges :-

Creative Craft Challenges ... Embossing

Going Grey With Scrap Creations ... Use A Digital Image

Cupcake Crafts ... Lots Of Layers

House Of Gilli .. Stripes & Bling

The Stamp Fairy ... For the Girls with a Sentiment

Card Cupids ... Pastels

Paper Sundaes ... Texture

Crafts & Me ... Pink & Sweet

I Love Promarkers ... (I really, really do) Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp ... Emboss It 

A Round Tuit #2

This isn't a round tuit that's been hanging around for years, it's a baby one of only about 4mths old. Oh by the way, it's a bag for my glasses. I'm having to wear two pair  again (both bi-focals, don't ask), my new pair I can do my really close work, but I need the old pair in order to read anything on the laptop. I keep shoving the 'pair in waiting' down the front of my tee-shirt, and then when I bend down the glasses drop on the floor..hence a bag to keep them safe...besides its so much easier then having to go back round the garden looking for the pair I dropped while out cutting flowers for my daughters sickroom. 

It's quite fine crochet yarn...I'm using a 2mm hook...not sure what that would be in American terms..but it's very tiny. It's the same as I've been using for my flowers. 

The lacey straps

 I chain stitched a little swirly decoration below the flower,

 you may have to click the picture to see it properly. 

 I'm quite pleased with my double layered flower, I've a few more of those made,

 as you can see I added little lemon pearls to it. 

 Some scalloped lace edging and pearls along the top.

A couple of Challenges I'd Like to Try For....

Anything Goes Challenge - Pearls

Lexi's Creations - Anything But A Card

Side Stepping a Purple Circle.

I've complete my first circle side stepper for a young girl in the States. She's 12 and has a congenital spine defect that has kept her in pain all her life. It hasn't held her back from doing all she wants to though. The dr's want to operate soon but it would be a difficult and dangerous operation...so a great deal of thought before anything happens. You can find instructions to make the side stepper on Marlene's blog here

This is of course a Sugar Nellie Design and she's called Verity. Beautiful isn't she. I did do some shading on her, though not a lot is needed...I think I've been too subtle for the scanner to show it up though. The button is one of my very favouite, pearly with an 'engraved' rose.  The ribbon I used for the rosette behind it and for the bows is some wired ribbon I had from my flower arranging obsession.....see, it is right that I keep all these old  crafting stashes isn't it lol.

Plenty girly on this one, scallops, paper lace, gems and fancy pins add to the effect. My scallopy edging all around the edging is from a fancy oval die cut..I cut the fancy edge and eased it around the card.

A close up of my button. I'm getting a little better 

at parting with my favourites I think lol. 

Receipe...

Image ... Sugar Nellie Designs - Verity

Die Cuts ... Nesties & Marianne Designs

Colourants .. Promarkers

Fancy Pins ... Home Made

The Rest ... Stash. 

Circle Stepper Inspiration... Paper Pappilon Blog

Promarkers used

Pale and denim blue.

Amethyst and Lilac

Ice grey 1

blush, tan and vanilla for skin

Terracotta, cinnamon and coco for hair

I'd like to enter the following :-

My Grafico - Anything Goes 

Sugar Creek Hollow - Monochromatic

Ellephantastic Challenges - Anything but Square or Rectangle

Stamp Fairy challenge - For the Girls With a Sentiment

There She Goes Clear Stamps - Monochromatic

Woodware USA Clear Stamps - Die Cuts Or Punches

Paper Sundaes - Texture

Anita Be Stampin Challenge - Anything Goes 

Card Cupids - Pastels

Kenny K's Krafty Girls - Anything Goes

Anniversary, Easely 35 Years

My sister, and of course her husband are celebrating their 35th Anniversary today. I felt this quite large House Mouse Designs decoupage deserved an easel card...that way I could throw more fancy bits on it. I've some new fancy die cuts so I had to use them didn't I !!

I have a row of half cross stitch, in white embroidery floss,  as a border down the one side, and a couple of flourishes/swirls with a handmade rose for the front of the card.

 The bottom section has a computer generated greeting, cut out with a fancy label type thing, some more swirlies and roses.

 A close up of one of my roses. I made these following the Tute by Leesa - otherwise known as The Navy Wife on her blog Gone By The Board. The Tutorial is so easy to follow. She has used a Glue gun to fix hers together...I was out of the melty things for the gun . I stuck one with super sticky glue stick, one using glue gel (that was messy and needed overnight, but worked); one with a combo of the two, and finally, after hubby did a shopping trip, one with the glue gun....I've discovered I need to practice using that again as my rose was a mess. I love the roses though and will be making many more. You can find her tutorial here 

One last blurry shot so you can see the layers. 

My sister contacted me to say how pleased she was with the card, she said it made hanging in for 35 years worthwhile all on it's own lol....that's a compliment I shall keep posted on my heart. :-)

My Receipe...

Decoupage - House Mouse Stamps Designs

Die cut's -  Marianne Designs

Flowers - Handmade Following Leesa's Tute

Sentiment - Computer Generated.
Floss and cardstock - Stash

I'd so like to enter the following Challenges
Fresh Brewed Challenge ... Cute & Sweet
Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenge ... Celebration
Scrapbook Sisters Card Challenge ... Wedding or Anniversary
Pixie Dust Studio ... Say It Out Loud
Paper Romance ... Paper Flowers
Dutch Dare ... Fancy Fold
Fun With Shapes & More ... Animals
Frosted Designs ... HandMade Embellishments (roses)
Delicious Doodles ... All Stitched Up
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge ... Furry Friends
Little Claire's Designs ... Animals
Totally Gorjuss ... No Patterned Paper
The Secret Crafter ... Stitching Real or Faux (mines real)
Our Daily Bread Designs ... No Colouring
A Gem Of A Challenge ... Pearls and/or Swirls

Great Blog Candies

A Couple of my friends have candy at the moment. Firstly DJ, with two, yes TWO, candies. This first one is for her current followers as a thank-you. Once she has drawn the winner at 200 hundred followers she will be drawing further winners - for smaller prizes - for each extra 50 followers she reaches. That means it's worth your while to tell your friends doesn't it. You can enter it HERE

 Next is her Candy for New Followers, have to say both candies look great. To enter this one go HERE. Remember you have to be a new follower for this one, and once you get over there you'll see her blog is well worth following.

The last candy is at Dorcas Designs, it's not only her Blogaversary, but she's celebrating reaching 300 followers too. As usual she has no rules attached - other than that you link and leave a message so she can contact you if you win - plain good sense that eh!! lol. Pop HERE, this is actually only one of the prizes as she's going to have 12 winners. I'm sure you're already a follower, and if not, why? where have you been?...all the cool kids follow Dorcas lol .....but you don't have to be to enter. 

Amber's Crafts & Stuffs #5. Favourite Things.

For my favourite things, I chose my favourite photo of my mom, my favourite colourants and my favourite nestie. I also used my mom's favourite spring flower - the Tulip and, as the page is for her, one of my daughters favourite colours, lilac.  

I started this album quite a few years ago, after my mom died..my way of dealing with it was to make albums for everyone. I didn't manage to finish those for myself of pea who lives here...they are on my Get A Round Tuit List.

I've kept the page fairly simple, mostly because the rest of the album was made pre-challenges - before I really knew how to bling it up lol. It doesn't show up, but the background paper to the tulips is a sentiments scrapbook paper saying Memories - in different fonts and sizes.

The image is from Blackberry Lane  Designs and coloured with pro-markers..I used

Lime, pear & moss green

Lavender & Lilac.

I outlined the page and the nestie edges with Lavender.

Feel like joining in, well drag out all your favourite things and come over to Amber's Craft's and Stuff to see the inspiration from the Design Team. Here

Receipe -

Image - Blackberry Lane Designs Tulips

Die cuts - Nestie Labels 8

Colourants - Promarkers

DP - Twelveby12 - Flower editions collection

Me An My Big Idea's

Gems - stash

Challenges I hope to be accepted by ...

Flourishes ... Flowers, Flowers everywhere

CES Challenge... Monochromatic

Allsorts Challenge ... Anything But Square

Stampin' Sisters in Christ ... Use Shades of Purple as Your Main Colour

Lexi's Creations ... Monochromatic

Karen's Doodles Nederland ... Anything Goes

Anita Be Stampin Challenge ... Anything Goes

Are Ewe Lost For Words

I wanted to put one of those cute sentiments with the word Ewe in them, only I didn't leave room for one did I. Still I got it in my title at least lol. The image is a Freebie this week at A Day for Daisy's, cute isn't it. You have until Thursday to get her, and put her on an entry.  I cut my card using a large Go Kreate frilly die, and because you need to leave a bit uncut for the fold, I cut an extra piece and covered it with mulberry paper to create a contrast and even the shape. I used some more of the mulberry to cut a couple of branches. 

I first saw her on Dorcas Designs, and used Dorcas's coloured in version as my guide when I did my shading...dispite her using Prisma Colours, and my choice of promarker. 

Promarkers used :- Skin - Blush, Tan, Vanilla; Hair - Terracotta, Raw Sienna, Chestnut; Lamb - Warm Grey 1, 3 & 5, blended with blender; Shrug & Ribbons  - Poppy & Red; Dress & Hat -  Blush for the shadows 

A Day for Daisy's challenge is stitching, and I've put a row of chain embroidery stitches along my paper lace border...along with a row of red faceted gems. The cord I used is from some lampshade edging I had left over from a long ago project. I've dismantle it into different elements...you'll see other bits in future projects no doubt lol. 

I cut my flower from some paper scraps using the centre  of a Marianne Designs lacy circles die. I cut a few ribbons and made a fancy red bow to sit behind the flower.   The edges of the flower are coated with copper coloured acrylic paint....outlined the card and papers with it too. 

My Receipe ...

Image - A Day for Daisy's (freebie on challenge blog)

Colourants - Promarkers & Acrylic paint

DP's - V & A Museum 6 x 6 Linen Pad

Dies - Go Kreate XL #2  Frilly

Marianne Designs

Ribbon, cord & Gems - Stash

Cardstock & Mulberry Paper - Stash 

Flower - Handmade.

I'd Like to join the fun at the following Challenges - 

Digi Design House ...Stitches

Kaboodle Doodle ... Cute and Cuddly animals

Shannons Sentiments ... Include an Animal

Totally Gorjuss ... Fluffy

A Day For Daisy's ... In stitches

Card Making Mama's ... Embellish It

Mami Doodles ... Use a Punch or Die Cut

Tallen's Place ... Sparkle and Lace (paper lace) 

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge ... Animals or Pets

CCEE Stampers... Add a Doily Die or Lace (paper lace)

A Spoonful Of Sugar ...All Creatures Great & Small

Digital Tuesday .... Little Women

Passion For ProMarkers ... Make Your Own Embellishments (paper flower)

Tuesday Throwdown... Sparkle & Bling

Spring Greens find A New Home

I have four New Home cards to make, three are for people who have moved and are well settle in, so perversely I've made one for my Cousin who has yet to decide on the date for his move lol. 

I've taken inspiration from all the spring themed challenges to make this card...otherwise he'd probably have got a card with a house on it lol.....well men are hard aren't they!! I wanted to make it fun too...all I need to do is remember it's ready when he ups sticks and moves lol. 

The photo is of a flower in my garden...I took it last year and have no idea what is it called. BTW, we are mid  spring here and it's like a lovely summer day. Other than that, everything else is old stash, aren't I being good. The greetings are in Sakura Tiara glitter pens.  The flower and dragonfly (pretending to be those little lace-wing things lol) are brads and I've had them for around 5yrs...the skeleton leaf a little longer. Hope I can find an old stash challenge lol.  The cute metal snails, cardstock and papers are a gift from someone who became fed up with card making.....what is wrong with some people lol.....but her loss is my gain. 

A view of it standing in it's easel form.

 Blurred because I took it and always get camera shake.

 Lower Section

 Close up of the bugs 

I'd like to enter in the following...

2 Sisters Challenge - Spring

Little Claire's Designs - Spring Celebrations

Shannon's Sentiments - Add an Animal

Frosted Designs - Brads

Fastionista Friday - Spring

Craft Us Crazy - Spring

Dutch Dare - Spring Has Sprung

The Rubber Cafe - Spring

Fresh Brewed Challenges - Flowers

Simon Says Stamp - Spring Colours

A Spoonful of Sugar - Tons Of Texture

Tuesday Throwdown - Spring

Critter Sketch Challenge - Fancy Folds 

Dream Valley Challenges - Things With Wings (dragonfly brads)