Tuesday 26 January 2010

Calendar for 2010


Hiya!

Just thought I would share what's been keeping me busy these past few nights... I bought this calendar kit from Quirky Kits way back in 2009 when it first came out & the beautifully packaged pink box it came in has been staring accusingly at me ever since!! So I metaphorically rolled my sleeves up & delved in & y'know once I got going it wasn't that hard & I have to say I'm pleased with the result.

Unfortunately the kit is now sold out but there are others to choose from (and the rumour is a new one is due out fairly soon!!) & I do love them... I think they're eclectic & edgy... something I aspire to but may never achieve, Lol!!

The intention is to use the mini-book to record important moments through the year, things that I want to remember & look back on & hopefully it will become a record of treasured moments in 2010!

So, you've seen the cover, now for the inner pages...




I hope you enjoyed looking at this, a totally different approach to what I've been blogging in recent months but I'm still trying to find 'my' style...maybe I'll be able to write about it in my new book - Lol!!

Thank you so much for looking...

Nikki xxx

Friday 22 January 2010

Layers... & a sketch


Made for my darling OH for Valentine's Day, this card fails to work on so many levels & yet I LOVE it!!!!

I don't know if it's that cheeky little mouse, the funky PPs or the fact that I managed to keep a steady hand throughout the entire perfect pearls undertaking... (& yes, I went a bit mad with the perfect pearls but when you're on a roll...!) I just like looking at it...I think it's definitely Henry :)

So this is for a couple of challenges... following the Quixotic Paperie sketch (oops... a bit late for that one!!) & using layers over on A Spoonful of Sugar

So that's all folks - hope you are keeping well & thanks for visiting!!

Nikki xxx

Saturday 16 January 2010

Simon Says...Shabby Chic

It's my eldest boy's birthday tomorrow so I've made him a card using the best little boy stamp I have seen yet from Squiggle Stamps - complete with sentiment too, I just love this image, cute but definitely not girly! Why oh why did I colour the balloon orange though? It should have been red *kneels on floor - arms upwards, outstretched and wails...."NOOOOOOooooooooooo!!"*

Ahem...sorry about that... I am entering this card for Simon Says Stamp shabby chic challenge this week, the camera doesn't pick it up that well but the paper is distressed - honest!!

Thanks for visiting...

Nikki xxx

Wednesday 13 January 2010

Hot Chocolate...Mmmmmm!!


I got a coffee machine for Christmas and now I can make espresso, cappuccino & best of all, frothy hot chocolate, to my heart's content!!

So I was especially pleased to see that a few card challenges this week used this theme as the inspiration to make a card, the colours of hot chocolate are just yummy, marshmallow, cream & brown, it's making me want one just typing about it!!

This card, apart from the sentiment, uses stamps from the 2009 winter magnolia collection & I think it looks a little bare however this is deliberate because as soon as there's a big 'O' birthday to celebrate I'm going to whack it straight on the heart in great big glittery numbers!! Lol!!

So onto the challenges...

Simon Says Stamp & Quixotic paperie are both running with a Hot Chocolate theme...
Charisma Cardz are asking for cards in a pink, brown, toffee, cream combo...
Just Magnolia are asking for cards with paper pleating for their special monthly challenge...

Ooh it's so late, it's taking me soooo long to make cards at the moment I don't know what's up with me, so just a quickie post tonigh to I can get me some shut-eye...

TFL!! xxx

Monday 4 January 2010

An Edwin Christening card

My Sister asked me to make a Christening card for her as she is going to be a God-mother, (again!! - Her friends must think she has exemplary morals!! Lol!) and here it is...


I kept it fairly simple as she wanted one in a similar style one I made for her a few years ago but my goodness how I've moved on since then!! So I felt a bit stuck at first because my current passions were conflicting with my old style of cardmaking but I think I've managed to reconcile the two to my satisfaction. (Although what my sister will think of Edwin I'm not sure!!)

The papers are K&Co & the sentiment is computer generated, the punch is Martha Stewart - not just for Halloween - Lol!!

Card submitted for Cupcake Challenge #72 who would like to see baby cards this week.

TFL!!

Saturday 2 January 2010

My 1st card of 2010...

Hellooo!!

And Happy New Year!! - Is it tragic that I was working on this card on New Year's Eve?! Well maybe so, but I was perfectly content in my little crafting bubble although I did pop outside at around midnight to watch everyone else's fireworks & chinese lanterns go up... Needless to say there will be another article in our local rag about 'UFOs'...

This is the first time I've given the Winter Collection Tildas an outing too, I must admit to being a little disappointed when I first got them, they didn't seem like a 'collection' at all but after taking a look at a few blogs and seeing the beautiful cards made with some of the images I've decided they're definately a 'grower'.

So inspired by these blogs & in particular the scandinavian style of crafting, ( have you seen this blog? - OMG Camilla, your work is amazing!!) this is what I came up with...


Lots of lace, distressing, some fancy flowers & a bit of play-doh stamped with a tiny heart to make a 'seal', Tilda is Coloured with distress inks - my favourite medium - and the sketch is from ICS.

So the challenges I'm submitting for this week are ICS, Roses on paper and Charisma Cardz who have a Blog Hop which runs until 6th Jan.

*Sigh*...after all the christmas crazyness it's good to be back to normality again, TFL!

Nikki xxx