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Sunday 20 December 2015

12 Months of Pinterest

 
OMG I can't believe we have completed a whole year of pinterest makes!
 
Our new years resolution for 2015 was to make one thing from pinterest each month and blog about it.
it could be anything at all. This only feels like a couple of months ago but no, its December all ready.
 
So here is my last pin of the year....
 
 
Grumpy looking old woman!
 
what do you think? I'm so pleased with this cowl because i'm not a knitter so it was a real challenge. I really don't like a circular needle LOL its the first time ive ever seen one never mind used one!

spot the mistake.
 
Yep I went wrong. I don't know how to pick up stitches if I drop them or have to undo some so when I go wrong I have to undo the whole lot and start all over again. hmmm I did this three times.
you can see my mistake in the photo but I didn't notice it till I was a good few rows past it and I didn't have the will to  start again so ive left the mistake. lets call it character!
 

 
second one is work in progress.
 
I was so pleased with it that I popped out and bought a ball of brown wool to make another one.
I'm going to add these to a family members Christmas present. I hope they like them as much as I do.
 
I'm going to make myself one but can't decide what colour combo to choose.
What colours do you like together? I'd love it if you could leave a comment telling me what colours to use next.
 
Please pop over to Margaret's blog to see what she has made for December and also Carollyn's blog. these too ladies have soooo much more talent than me and I'm sure you will love their December projects.
 
We are going to start this all over again with a pin each month so if you would like to join us just drop me a line. It can be anything you want.... knitting, crochet, gardening, cards, papercrafts, glass painting, cooking..... even a housework cleaning tip. (yeah right) I don't think you will find any of those on my blog LOL
 
thanks for stopping by and thank you for any comments you might like to leave. I'd love to hear from you, even if its just saying hello so I know you stopped for a visit.
 
HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
 
hugs Suzanne xx
 
 


Thursday 10 December 2015

All Wrapped Up!

 
Oh boy I'm so late this week with my DT card for Creative Inspirations....
 
Sorry guys!
 
I had it ready of course, I was just late blogging my end but I'm here now....
 
 
I've used sugar Nellie's Raven stamp from Funky Kits.
 
she is All Wrapped Up in her winter coat, hat and scarf to keep the cold out!
 
I love this stamp.
 
I coloured her with copic markers and added some snow writer.
the tree's are Impression Obsession die cuts with the snow add to the branches. I was so pleased with how they turned out.
 
I really liked the image so decided to keep the card plain and simple.
 
Our theme this week is All Wrapped Up and I'm looking forward to seeing how you interpret that.
will it be pressies wrapped up?
please come and join us at creative inspirations. check out the gorgeous prize that is up for grabs this week. it's right up my street but sadly I can't win. LOL
 
thanks for stopping by and please leave me a comment so I can visit you too.
 
hugs Suzanne x
 
 
 


Wednesday 2 December 2015

Time4 Tea

 
hi crafters, thanks for visiting my blog.
 
I've got a cutie to show you today....
 
 
the image is from our sponsor this week and they are offering a great prize so I hope you will join us at Creative Inspirations
 


 


Monday 30 November 2015

November Pinterest Project

hi crafty friends,
 
Phew I just about made it here on time.
 
today is the day for us to show our November Pinterest project and I've ben running late on everything just lately but here it is......
 
 


I made this long stem crochet rose.
 
 
its not perfect but I'm still pleased with it.
 
it needs a couple more leaves but I wanted to get it posted so the next one with have more.
i'm not sure if I will manage a dozen roses as I get bored with the same pattern but I think 6 would look nice together.
 
Please pop over to see what Margaret has made this month by clicking here
and also visit Carollyn's blog to see her creation. i'm sure you will love them both!
 
thank you for visiting me today and I hope you like my rose.
you can find the pattern on my pinterst board called Pins and Needles.
leave me a message if you ned a link.
 
I can't believe we are now about to start December. Margaret, we almost completed our new year's resolution for 2015 and we were lucky enough to have Carollyn join us.
thank you to both of you for keeping me going.
 
hugs Suzanne xx

Thursday 26 November 2015

Sugar Nellie Challenge

 
hello, I have great news to share with you.....
 
I have been offered a permanent place on the SugarBowl design Team and of course I said YES!
 
just when I thought my time had come to an end they aske me if I would like to stay. thank you Sweeties!
 
so it really is with great honour that I am here with my latest card.....
 
 
how sweet is this gorgeous image? I love her!
 
I also love blue and white cards which you may find out over the next couple of weeks. should I apologise for that now? sorry, I will use other colours after Christmas I promise LOL
 
 
I've had these Marianne snowflake dies forever but I love them so they come out every year.
I added a little glamour dust but watch this space for more idea's on them.
 
I hope you will join us for our challenge. you can find it HERE.
 
thanks for visiting me today and I would love it if you could leave me a nice comment so I can visit you too.
 
hugs Suzanne xx
 


Wednesday 25 November 2015

Dreaming of a White Christmas

 
wow we are only one month away from Christmas today.
 
so its not surprising I have a Christmas card to show you today.
 
Our theme at creative inspirations is white on white
 
 
first, I apologise for my poor photography skills. this dark weather isn't my favorite time of year.
I really need to make myself a light box.
 
my card looks nicer in real life I promise!
Ive used tim holtz brick embossing folder and a snowflake folder.
the door is a joy crafts die called home sweet home.
the wreath is made with MS branch punch.
the sentiment is crafters companion.
 
I also added a few gems.
 
I hope you will join us this week. I will visit as many blogs as I can to see your white cards.
 
hugs suzanne x
 

Wednesday 18 November 2015

creative inspirations challenge blog

 
Its time for another challenge and we have a great prize up for grabs
 
find out what it is here
 
 
our theme is nice and easy this week as we would like to see your Christmas projects.
 
I have got to send a few cards to family abroad so I like to keep those ones flat for their long journey.
 
I had to add this detail photo because it amuses me how it plays tricks with my eyes...
it really looks like I've used the negative space here..... or is it just me?
Its actually the diecut ive used which shows clearing in the picture below.

 
I've used an apple blossom music note die from www.craftstash.co.uk
I love this die, it can be used for so many different occasions, I even used it with the sentiment 'just a note' get it? note.... music note?
LOL well I liked it!
 
I hope a few of you will come and join us this week and I always look forward to visiting your blogs and leaving comments.
this brings me to another little problem that I would like to share but our leader Natalie can word these things much better than I can so I pass on here words to you all .....
 
Please can you help make our job of leaving comments easier by turning off comment verification and enabling comment moderation instead. 
Both me and the DT try to comment on each entry submitted which can take some time, made even longer by having to prove that we are not robots lol
Simply go to Customise > Settings > Comments > Comment Moderation > Always.
This won't stop anyone leaving you a comment but it gives you the choice to approve whether or not you want them to show on your blog.
Then please scroll down to Word Verification then select No.
If word verification is left on then we may not be able to comment on your entry.

thanks Boss!
 
and thanks to each and everyone of you who join us each week, we really do appreciate it.
 
hugs Suzanne xx

Saturday 31 October 2015

October Pinterest Challenge

 
Hi Guys,
Its time for Our pinterest challenge and what can I say....
 
 
Total FAIL!
 
 
ok ok..... wait a sec.....
 
let me defend myself here by saying I've really had a rough month and suffered with my back pain and the doc has been changing my meds to find the correct combination.
 
is that a good enough excuse?
 
ok..... I'll suck it up and just say I was total.....
 
RUBBISH!
 
 
lets start at the beginning when I was browsing pinterest and found a gorgeous silver embossed box.
 
I've always had a thing about boxes, I buy them when i see them in charity shops, bootsales or on holidays. All sorts of materials and shapes, i'm not fussy, I just love little boxes.
 
So I knew this pin was for me. I didn't need much, just a couple of large beer/soda cans and some embossing tools which I already have of course.
 
I asked my son for the cans and he gave me a few different sizes.
 
Perfect I got to work with the measurements and cut it out but.....
 
it fell apart!
 
 
the embossing looked crap!
 
so I started again.....
 
and again.....
and again.....
 
the embossing was better using a folder
 
 
It didn't fall apart when I folded the sides up

 
its not perfect....

 
and it needs a lining

 
the base needs a lot more work!

 
but the lid does fit!

 
it looks ok if you don't look too close.
 
It doesn't matter how much I try to kid myself, this is a fail!
Its heading for the bin.
 
now the question is do I try again or give up?
 
its November tomorrow so time for a new pin so I think i'll chose something different and if I get it finished with time to spare I re-make this box.
 
I really hope my friends had better luck than me. they are both very talented so i'm sure they have done well.
 
please check out margarets blog and Carollyn's blog
 
what will I choose for November?
I have no idea yet but I really love the pinterest challenge even if I did fail this month. It was still funny, frustrating, annoying, madness and interesting.
 
thanks for stopping by.
 
hugs Suzanne x
 


Wednesday 28 October 2015

Creative photo Inspiration

I must start with apology for any mistakes I make here today. I'm stuck in bed laying flat with a poorly back again so I'm blogging on my phone, this may come easy to many of you but not me lol
First the screen is too and my thumbs are too fat and don't get me started on the stupid auto correct thingy!
So bare with me and ignore my mistakes please, 
Thanks guys xx 

So....
today we a photo inspired theme at creative inspirations.
Natalie has taken a beautiful shot of a kingfisher which is electric blue and orange, we are so lucky to have this little bird in the uk and Natalie was so clever to get this picture, it takes a lot of patience. Hmm that's probably why my photography skills are rubbish, I don't have the patience!



A little plug here for my husband, if you want to see more beautiful and amazing photo"s of our British birds and wildlife pop over to his blog briansbirding.blogspot.com

He does take some great photos!

Back to the challenge,
Here is my card using the blue and orange







I've found this cute Disney image on a free colouring  page website, I'm not sure what the copyright is on the image so it will be kept for me, I'm a huge Disney fan.

Image is coloured with copic markers and I added some mulberry flowers. I love the tiny buttons!



I hope you will join in the challenge this week and as always there is a prize up for grabs.

Hugs for now
Suzanne xx





Monday 26 October 2015

DT CALL

 
 
Hi Crafty friends
 
I thought you would like to know that there is a DT call at sugar Nellie
 
 
here is the link so you can pop over for details.
 
 
 
please pop back to see my card later in the week.
 
it will be my last card for the sugar bowl as my 4 month stint is now over.
 
oh what a sad time!
 
I have really enjoyed it.
 
good luck to all those who enter.
 
hugs Suzanne x


Thursday 22 October 2015

Dreaming of a White Christmas.........Card!

 
 
Hello, As many of you know i am now a design team member for CraftStash and I'm here to show you another card I've made for them. 
 
but first, have you checked out their amazing offers?
if you click HERE you can check out the bargains. 
 
I'm amazed at some of the offers, where else can you get an A4 size embossing folder for less than £3? yeah that's right, LESS than £3. do I sound excited? LOL
 
I am still in shock that I got the Tim Holtz crazy bird stamp set for just £13.99. that's cheaper than any other online shop that I could find and I really did do my research.
 
and for all those new customers, you can join the site and get a huge 20% off your first order.
 
OMG I do love a crafty bargain!
 
so back to my card......
 
 
I chose white and silver for this Christmas card.

 
I used some stampendous silver embossing powder. The holly was stamped onto the card but the star was done on another sheet of card and cut out. I added some 3D foam to give it some dimension.

 
I did the same with the sentiment stamp and layered it onto some silver card.
 
I added the silver ribbon and some gems. I do love a little bit of bling.
 
the stamps I've used for this card are Apple Blossom Luxury stamp set called Peace on Earth
the usual price is £7.99 but you can get them for a special price of just £4.99 at the moment. Grab a bargain!
 
you can meet the Craftstash gang on the facebook page
 
Be sure to pop over there and give me a shout. I'd love to say hello to some of you on there and of course if you have any questions about my creations you can ask me there and I'm happy to help if I can.
 
Thank you for visiting my blog today and be sure to follow me to see more cards for craftstash.
 
see you again soon
 
Hugs Suzanne xx
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday 14 October 2015

Clean and Simple?

 
Clean and simple of fussy and fancy?
 
which one would you choose?
 
I've chosen clean and simple but only because I wrongly thought that would mean quick!
 
I've got such a lot of cardmaking to catch up with this month but oh boy this card took ages!
 
I chose my new Tim Holtz Crazy bird stamp set...
 
 
 
I stamped him with versafine sepia ink which looks great on the kraft card blank.
 
then I coloured it in with my Derwent Inktense pencils.
 
(by the way, the 24 pencil set is a great price on amazon at the moment)
 
I really need more practice with these pencils and I've been spending hours watching Sandy Allnock on YouTube. wow she is one incredibly talented lady!
I wish I could colour and paint like she does. Maybe when I win the lotto I'll be able to visit her and get some lessons. (hmmm yeah right)!
 
next on my card I cut the impression obsession bare branch die in brown cardstock and then I cut it a few more times with various autumn colours.
I cut all leaves out and stuck them to the branch. they are tiny so this took some time but it was worth it. the colour variations don't show up in my poor photo but they really do look nice.
 
lastly I used a fine marker in brown and drew some song notes. no great skill needed for that.
 
so which will you choose?
do you like the fussy and fancy look? I love it but I'm always in danger of making a mess with too much added stash.
 
I hope you will join us at creative inspirations. I love browsing everyone's blogs and leaving some comments.
I always appreciate comments left here for me too but if you are a 'spammer' don't waste your time, I read all comments before publishing them so I would appreciate it if you didn't comment if you are not really interested in crafting.
thank you.
 
here is the link for you to pop over and join us.
 
hugs Suzanne x
 
 
 
 
 


Saturday 10 October 2015

I've got News!

 
 
Hi Friends, I've got some crafty news that I want to share with you.
 
I'm so happy and proud to be part of the design team for craft stash
 
they have some really great dies and stamps and all at a really good price with different offers appearing almost every day.
 
last week I bought tim holtz crazy bird stamps for just £13.99 and that really is the cheapest ive seen them and trust me when I say I did a real good search lol
 
they also arrived the next day!
 
I really am proud to be able to say I am part of their design team.
 
here is one of the cards I've made for them....
 
 
 
I've used Kraft cardstock which I love using for Christmas cards and the red gingham ribbon is perfect with it.

 
the stamp set used is Apple Blossom Peace on Earth and of course is available from craftstash
 
there are 8 stamps in this set including the star, snowflakes and sentiment, all of which I stamped with Versamark ink and sprinkled with stampendous white embossing powder.
once heated its really pops and looks great!
I cut out the star and added with 3D foam to give some dimension.
 
I stamped the tiny snowflake in random places to form the backing pattern.
 
If you have any questions just leave me a comment and i'll get back to you.
 
Please pop over to craft stash blog and check out what the DT have been up to.
 
i'll be posting more creations for them very soon so please pop back.
 
I'll link to stamps and dies that I've used and i'll also keep you up to date with some of the offers but as these sell fast the best way to get all the latest news is to sign up for our newsletter.
 
Oh and don't forget, you can get 20% off your first order.
 
thanks for stopping at my blog today and sharing my great news.
 
let the crafting begin!
 
hugs Suzanne x


Wednesday 7 October 2015

Stars and Stripes

 
hi guys, its time for another challenge at creative inspirations and this week the theme is stars and stripes.
 
 
I chose a cute bugaboo image and got to work with my copic markers
 
 
I love this little teddy image and he is perfect for anyones birthday, male or female, old or young!

 
I have got lots of star dies so this was easy for me. the hard part was knowing when to stop.
 
the papers are called Complete Boy.
 
 

 
I'm not sure what shape this card is..

 
I folded it and went wrong but then thought.... I actually like it!

 
so I left it this weird shape. there are no mistakes is crafting is there? its all part of being creative.
 
shall I scrap the part where I told you it went wrong and pretend I was being clever? lol no..... you all know me better than that.
 
I hope you will join us again this week at creative inspirations and check out the great prize this week.
 
thanks for stopping by
Suzanne x


Tuesday 6 October 2015

crochet bag finally finished

 
hi all,
 
I just had to write this post because I'm so proud of myself!
 
I can't say that too often but I started this crochet bag last month after finishing the bigger version.
 
I just used thinner cotton thread and a smaller needle and lots of wishing for luck. LOL
its worked, someone was listening and sent that luck to me.
 
here is the finished bag....
 
 
I'm so happy with it.

 
I was given the fabric to line it and matched perfectly.
I also added a zip....
Get me, I added a zip, I've never added a zip to anything before.

 
I used the lining material on the back of the strap aswell to stop it stretching.
 
It did take me longer than I thought it would so it ended up being a summer colour bag ready for winter Oops!
 
never mind.....
I've started another one in a winter colour now.
 
Well a girl can never have too many bags can she?
 
I really have got the hang of this crochet lark and i'm totally hooked!
 
I'll show you the winter one when its finished but i'm already searching for my next project.
 
this could become slightly addictive.
 
thanks for stopping by.
 
you can find the original pattern on my pinterest board its a fantastic tutorial.  
 
hugs Suzanne x
 
 


Wednesday 30 September 2015

Anything Goes

 
Happy Wednesday to my friends in blogland...
 
that means its time for a new challenge at creative Inspirations and this week is an
'Anything Goes' challenge but we also have the option of a sketch which I chose to follow this week.
 
this is sketch number 12 in our library.
 
This is my card. Ive Used a cute digi from sassy Cheryl.

 
I hope you are not fed up with these digi yet, I know I tend to use them a lot but I love them so much.
 
this is Noah and can be found here
 
Please pop over to sassy cheryls to check out her new digi's.
 
as this is an anything goes challenge we are hoping to see lots of you entering your creations at Creative Inspirations this week.
 
i'm looking forward to visiting your blogs.
 
hugs Suzanne x
 
 




Friday 25 September 2015

Pinterest for September

 
wow its the end of September already!
 
that means its time for our pinterest challenge.
 
I chose something quick and east this time.....
 
I chose a lace crochet bookmark.

I bought the yarn from ebay but I wasn't keen on the results

So I made another one (bottom one) using some thread that my friend Sandy sent me and this time it looked much nicer.

I added the narrow ribbon

 
I'm really happy with it.
 
you can find the pattern on my pinterest board here
 
thanks for stopping by and please pop over to margaret's blog and carollyn's blog to see what they have made from pinterest this month.
 
If you would like to join us just drop one of us a line and let us know. all you have to do is find something on pinterest that you want to try.
It can be anything... cooking, gardening, crochet, beading, candle making.... absolutely anything.
Even cleaning.... yep I tried a tip to clean my oven which worked really well and I freshened up our mattress.
ok so these tips worked well but they are still cleaning/housework which really isn't good for your health so don't do too much of it!
 
hugs Suzanne x
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday 23 September 2015

so sweet!

 
we are back in full swing now at creative inspirations and its time for another challenge.
 
this week we want to see something sweet.
 
how easy is that!
 
check out the design team for a very varied array of cards for this theme.
 
here is my take on it.....
 
 
Now I have to own up and say this memory box die comes out when I need to make a quick card.
Hubby had booked a surprise weekend away for my birthday so it really did mean I had to make something quick.
 
I used a clear pennyblack stamp and coloured it with my copic markers.
they don't come much 'sweeter' than this one, look at those adorable little faces.
 
so you can see how quick this card was to make and I rushed off to pack a weekend bag.
(well ok, 5 bags actually and yes hubby did moan about them) lol
 
 We had a great time  and Tia loved the beach.
we looked at property for sale but didn't find our dream home this time. I will find the right place one day though.
 
I hope you will join us at creative inspirations and share your sweet little cards with us.
 
Petal Lu is our generous sponsor this week and is offering a £10 voucher for the winner.
 
good luck to everyone that enters.
 
hugs Suzanne x
 
 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday 16 September 2015

Your Favorite Occasion?

What is your favorite occasion for making and sending cards?
That's the theme at creative inspirations this week.
Simple aye? just make somethin for your favorite occasion and enter it on mr linky
I had a good think about this one...
Christmas? we all love Christmas!
birthdays?
anniversary?
wedding days?
aww a nice get well?
its not easy to pick a favorite is it!
But I decided on this....

because I like to send a card for no reason at all, just to say 'hello'

This card is on its way to a friend who likes to watch the birds.

I stamped the Impression Obsession stamp and then heat embossed it, adding distress ink to the sky.
the same ink was used on the sentiment background and a smooches sentiment die.
then I cut a couple of tiny birds. I think the dies for those are from tattered lace but I'm not 100% sure.
my poor photography doesn't show off the card too well, its much nicer in the flesh with the glossy embossing.

What is your favorite occasion?
I'd love to see what you like to make and send so please join us this week.

thanks for stopping at my blog today.

hugs Suzanne x

Wednesday 9 September 2015

Vintage Card

 
September, you know what that means?
 
the kids are back at school and all those mum crafters have more time on their hands!
 
so what you waiting for?
 
get the paper and stamps out and come and join us at creative inspirations for our next challenge.
 
this week we want to see some vintage desigs.
 
he's what I came up with...
 
 
I've used a Craft Individuals stamp which i'm guessing is called Sweet Memories.
 
 
 
I inked her up with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink and then added tea dye and vintage photo distress inks.
the image is cut using GoKreate die
 
I also used various others dies for the flowers and embellishments.
Where would we be without our die cutting machines!
 
please check out the other design team members blogs to see what vitage beauties they have made.
 
as always we have a prize up for grabs and this week our sponsor, Live and Love crafts, is offering a £10 voucher for the winner.
now who doesn't want £10 to spend on their gorgeous site?
 
please add your cards here
 
good luck with the challenge.
 
hugs Suzanne x