My favourite five makes from 2010

Well Debby is back with another invite for us to pick out our favourite five makes for
2010 and just look at the fab candy she is offering........ very nice!














Now seeing as Debby couldn't choose just five I am hoping she will forgive me for
doing the same! Here is my top fav makes for 2010....
Now this one I like as I just loved using the spotty digi papers from Pink Petticoat
and I have used my first love .......... Penny Black!

I think this one is my favourite......love the image, love raffia, love MS punches and have used one of my fav colour combos.





















Having discovered Kenny K digi images I just had to have this one and LOVE colouring & using her. In fact I like this image so much she featured in my next two cards!

LOTV are another addiction.......their stamps are just sooooooooooooooo adorable!!! And they do have some gorgeous images which are so suitable for male cards (which is a megga bonus for me) This wee lad fishing is a must have! I loved the way the water worked out on this card, with a gentle shimmer, hopefully this shows in the close up.



















And finally another LOTV image, I am counting these two as one 'cos it's the same image, same layout just a different colour......but I love them both!

Phew! Well there you have it. I hope you like my choices, I know I have really enjoyed peeking through all cards peeps have chosen for their top 5 ish!

A huge thank you to those who have taken the time to visit my little blog and leave words of encouragement & support, your comments are very much appreciated!
Sending you best wishes for a healthy & happy New Year & look forward to visiting you in 2011.
Big hugs
Kaz xx

P.S Sorry about this post I just can't get it to behave nicely!!!! :0(

Favourite five Christmas cards from 2010

Debby over at A Scrapjourney has invited us to join her in posting our favourite five Christmas cards for 2010 and I have really enjoyed looking at every ones favourites so I thought I would join in with mine.

My first is using a fab Penny Black stamp, it was this huge range of cute stamps that got me hooked on card making! And I just love the Hellebore flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts!

My next card features a Tim Holtz embossing folder, I cut out & glittered the snowman, and a LOTV circle sentiment.......ooooooh these are just FAB!

Next comes this super cute little Santa (a RAK from a lovely friend) I don't know who he is by but I do need to find out 'cos I love him!

One of my favorite LOTV images, and there are a lot I adore, is next. Coloured with Promarkers and extra depth added with Prisma's, first time I have used this method and I was pleased with the results.

And my final card is again a LOTV image coupled with a beautiful Jak Heath design paper, oh boy she is one talented lady! I messed up colouring the penguins first time and ended up decoupaging over the top with some more that I coloured but ended up really liking it this way.

Hope you like my offering for Christmas 2010 & thanks for dropping over.

Have a great New Year!

Hugs

Kaz xx

Twas the night before Christmas........

.........when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.



The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of suger-plums danced in their heads.
And Mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap.


When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.


The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.


With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid that eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!


Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the pourch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!


As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St Nicholas too.


And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St Nichloas came with a bound.


He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.


His eyes, how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.


The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!


He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.


He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!


He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

I just wanted to wish all my visitors a very happy & peaceful Christmas

& all the best of health & happiness for 2011!

Hugs
Kaz xx

Not a Christmas card...............for a change

............... needed a gothish style birthday card quick last (birthday today!)

Eeeeek goth........Eeeeeek by today! After much head scratching and a few tantrums I located an image that lovely friend Uma had sent me some time ago. Phew! Thanks Uma! Although I love the Ching Chou Kuik images I am rather daunted by the thought of having to colour them.

But needs must, and last night I needed to, so here's the out come. I wanted the hair to be darker but chickened out at a 'grey' stage of colouring before I mucked things up completely.

Note to self .... need to practice colouring dark hair!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kaz xx

Cute Santa

I have my lovely crafting friend Squirrel to thank for sending me this adorable image ages ago, I've been hanging onto it afraid to colour him in just in case it went horribly wrong as I don't have this stamp to be able to just start over (really must correct this over sight!
Any how in a moment of confidence I reached for the Promarkers and voila!

Challenges:~
I Love Promarkers ~ Christmas trees
Papertake ~ With one of Dawny P's gorgeous sketches
Cute Card Thursday ~ The blues

Ingredients:
Promarkers ~ Apple; Pastel Blue; Denim Blue; Cool Grey 1 & 2; Sandstone; Terracotta; Ivory & Blush and a touch of Prismacolor 739 Peacock Green on the tree.
Nesties ~ Labels Four
Stickles ~ Stardust
Card candy ~ Joy
Papers ~ Echo Park "Flurry" and Basic Grey Dasher "Snowflake"

Hope you've had a great weekend...............only 19 more sleeps................................. :0))
Hugs
Kaz xx

Snow kitty....

Thought I'd just share a couple of pics taken in the garden today.

Our daft kitty actually seems to enjoy the snow!! He spent ages out in it, leaping & pouncing about.



Bless him his little paws were sooooooooo cold when he finally came in doors. Spent the rest of the day in true kitty style..............................sleeping!
That's it for me now, I'm off to my bed.
Nighty night.
Kaz xx

Tim Holtz snowman....

Brrrrrrrrr hope you are keeping snug & safe in all this snow & ice. Went out yesterday for a little snow walk & took some pics but have gone into hibernation today........way too icy for me!Fingers crossed the sun will melt most of it & the rain will do the rest tomorrow.

Had a play with my Tim Holtz embossing folders last night and made this....

The papers look darker and bluer than they really are, they are much softer with a hint of green in real life. The sparkle does not show up either :0( The snowman and the circle sentiment have had a generous layer of Craft Companions spray & sparkle.

Challenges:~

ABC challenge - Ice & snow (plenty of that around!)

Cute Card Thursday - The blues

Dutch Dare - Christmas card, tag or ornament

Thanks for stopping by....

Warm hugs

Kaz xx

LOTV circle sentiments

Me again! :0)
What am I like.......another card which has missed a deadline, the Bah Humbugs challenge ended at noon today. But I do still have time to enter it for a couple of other challenges, so here goes:
Christmas Club challenge ~ Anything goes.
Totally Gorjuss challenge ~ Not so traditional Christmas colours and my gorgeous element......
well the fab LOTV circle sentiment of course!
Papertake challenge ~ Cut it out.....with nesties and my Leone Em new ash family punch.

Right off to play again. Just can't resist having a go at this weeks House Mouse & Friends challenge ........ Envelope Art! Pop over and take a peek at the brilliant DT examples, very inspirational.....just gotta try it!

TTFN

Kaz xx

Basic Grey Challenge ~ Wings

Brrrrrrrrr bit on the chilly side isn't it! Anyone knee deep in the white stuff yet? Lets hope the wind changes direction and whisks it off else where! I am craving warm sunshine already.....

Nothing for it but to snuggle down indoors with a nice hot tea and a spot of crafting.

I made this card with 3 challenges in mind but missed the bus with 2 of them (how unlike me.....not!) Oh well never mind.

Challenge: BasicGrey challenge 33 ~ Wings. Just look at that fabby BasicGrey paper.......they are Marjolaine creme de menthe, double sided and sooooo delish! I am afraid the pic does not do the colours justice (another good reason to bring back that warm sunshine!)

Keep warm n snuggly

Kaz xx

Patience ~ by Mo Manning

As soon as I saw this wonderful image by Mo Manning I knew I just had to get it! It is just perfect for my daughter and our poor kitty cat. I have had several of this image coloured in ready and waiting until her birthday last week. Here's what I made....

Unfortunately I almost dropped my distress ink pad right on top of the image and managed to get a couple of smudges on the cat but it was too late in the day to do much about it :0(

I have used this fortnights sketch from the Sketch and Stash challenge my stash element is the image that I have had for ages and the paper. I would also like to enter my card for this weeks LOTV challenge ~ Anything goes (for this week only you can use any stamp/digi image)

Hugs

Kaz xx

Snow Cuddle.....

....... that's the name of this super cute snowman image from Penny Black stamps. An oldie but a goodie from 2003. I seem to have been doing a fair bit of colouring lately, but not much card making, so I've decided its high time I addressed the balance. So as I have several versions of the lovely snowman coloured in, this is the image I have used first. Here's my card....

Hmmmmm now I've loaded it the pic is a bit dark/off but you get the idea.

Challenges I would like to enter :~

BasicGrey Challenge 32 ~ A lovely sketch by Heather. My papers are Dasher - Snowbank and

a co-ordinating page from my Two Scoops pad.

Penny Black Saturday challenge week 126 ~ Let it snow.

Only 49 days til the big day!!! Eeeeeek.....more chrimble cards needed!

Thanks for dropping by.

Kaz xx

White Christmas.....

...... well the kids would like it!

Just a quick post as the OH is waiting for me so we can watch a movie together. So to business,
here is my card (sorry for the poor pic indoor light just doesn't work well)




The challenges:
Sketch Saturday ~ sketch #127
Christmas Club ~ Use a Christmas digi image - a fab freebie from Bugaboo Stamps
Critter challenge ~ Christmas
ABC Christmas challenge ~ W is for Winter Wonderland
ABC challenge ~ G is for Glitter

As I said short 'n' sweet.......must dash......thanks for stopping by.
Kaz xx

Boo!

Happy halloween!

Kenny K ~ 2's challenge

Me again.......the sun is shining, the washings out on the line, both the kids have gone off with friends & OH is off on a bike ride.........perfect play time!
So before it's too late to enter, here's my card for this weeks Kenny K's Krafty Girlz challenge.



This week the DT girlz are looking for 2's of things, so here are my 2's
2 x Basic Grey papers from my two scoops pad!
2 x layers of Bazzill card
2 x panels of design papers
2 of each colour card candy

Oh boy I just LOVE playing with this image! She is Download Diva

Thanks for visiting!
Kaz xx

Bah Humbug!

LOL.............no I'm not fed up with all thing Christmas! It's the challenge I made my card for.

This week the DT girls over at the Bah Humbug challenge blog are looking for elegance. Now I am the first to admit it's not my usual style but I decided to give it a go. I have had this gorgeous Papermania stamp for some time but did get a bit of a surprise when it arrives as it is HUGE!!!! So big in fact that there is little room on my card for much else. So I decided to go for it with distressing inks, squeezed in a wee bit of layering and added few tiny pearls. Still not quite happy with it, but at least the stamp has now seen an ink pad!

Sorry about the poor pic it's soooooooo gloomy and miserable here :0(

Thanks for stopping by.

Kaz xx

One sketch, two cards part two....

OK so I messed this up and the order of these two posts didn't work :o(
but never mind I am sure you get the idea.
Here's the Christmas version....

Hugs
Kaz xx

One sketch, two cards...

Golly it's turned chilling over night! My poor feet had an awful shock when they hit the floor this morning getting out of my nice warm bed (laminate flooring brrrrrrr) So glad my 'craft room' aka the dinning room still has carpet :0) so what better place to go with my cuppa whilst the rest of the house snoozed. I made a card last night using the fab sketch from this weeks Cute Card Thursday challenge and decided to use the same sketch and the same image and make a Christmas version this morning. Here's how the Birthday version turned out....

Thanks for visiting!

Kaz xx

Stampin Up card

We have had some lovely Autumn sunshine along with a good breeze here today............a perfect laundry day. So my poor machine has been putting in some serious overtime, but at least I can nearly see the bottom of the basket :0) not that that will last for long, but at least I tried. And while the machines been washing, I've been playing.
I've had a trio of SU stamps forever, and they have not seen an ink pad yet, so when I came across Valentines monthly challenge I thought why not have a go. This months challenge is 'Starstruck' and the only rule is that you must use a Stampin Up product somewhere on your project. My stars are on the backing paper and I have used one of my trio of stamps. I've used the sketch from this weeks Critter Sketch challenge as it was just the right shape for the image.
I wanted to use a star for the text tag but after attempting to draw on by hand I changed my mind and resorted to my Sizzix dies.
And here's my card....

Hope you all have a fab weekend!
Kaz xx

Sketch & Stash challenge...

Another gorgeous day, and it's nearly the weekend........yippee! And get me, two posts in one week during term time. Now that doesn't happen very often. Mind you I have used an image that I coloured a while back so that saved me a bit of time ....... note to self - must colour images to stash more often!
Anyhoo... here's my card.

This is my entry for this fortnights Sketch & Stash challenge. My new(ish) stash is the larger flower punch and nesties and my neglected stash item is the PM Creative Tones paper! Hmmmmm....I appear to have this pad in several other colours too....shame on me.

Thanks for visiting!

Kaz xx

How cute are these guys......

As soon as I saw this LOTV image I knew I just had to get it! It's just sooooooooooo cute.
I did find the penguins tricky to colour with my Promarkers though. As I built up the greys to get the darker areas it bled and looked really messy. Not had this before......has anyone else had this kind if problem? I thought maybe my card had got a bit damp, but all the other colours were ok ....... Maybe my dark grey is a bit 'juice' still as it's not been used much before.
Anyway, I made such a pigs ear of it that I coloured in another image and used Prisma Color pencils to do the penguins instead, cut them out and added them over the top of the bodged ones. Must admit I like the decoupaged look so it works for me. Did the sledge too.
Those delish papers are a freebie download from Jak Heath's fab blog, why not pop over and visit.
Well that's it for me for now, thanks for stopping by!
Kaz xx

Snowy...

With only 81 day till Christmas! (where has this year gone to?) I figure its time I did a few more crimble cards. Thanks to all those wonderful Christmas challenge blogs I do have a nice pile already but still need, and want, to do more. I've even ordered my first pressie :o)
Oh boy, I've never been this organised before........ bit scary really!
Still, I dug down deep into the draw and out popped this gorgeous fella and so I set about playing. And here is the result.....

I would like to enter my card into the Christmas Club challenge who's challenge this week is to use 'glitter, ribbons & gems'. Now try as I might I could not find a ribbon that worked, soooooooo I made my own 'paper ribbon' with a snowflake punch and a thin strip of matching card........I hope this counts.

Thanks for stopping by.
Kaz xx

FF Bear....

All this wet weather we've had this weekend has been a great excuse to stay in and get crafting :0) Just as well too as I have a mega load of birthdays to make for in October.

Inspired by my previous 2 cards I thought I'd have a go at a bit of paper piercing & decoupage with this FF bear. I stamped the image onto my base card and then 3 more times onto some fab wood grain paper I've had in my stash forever. Cut out the layers and lightly embossed the backs to give a bit of shape, stuck down with silicone adhesive and voila! The balloon was stamped onto a scrap of white card and coloured with Promarkers and just for good measure I covered it with glossy accents and a sprinkling of fine glitter. The embossed swirls & dots were done using a Fiskars shapeboss. Text on PC and a few card candy to finish.
Challenges:
Just Cute Bears ~ Swirls & bling.

Thanks for taking the time to visit me!
Kaz xx

Twice in one day?!!

Yep......me again........LOL ......nothing for ages & now I can't keep away.

Just done another card using the Bentley Bear freebie decoupage kit, must say they are quick to do :0) Played with more raffia lace (I do like this stuff!) and my new nestie dies.

Quick, easy & simple!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Kaz xx

Kenny K meets Papertake

Me again.......Just a quick post 'cos the Kenny K's Krafty girlz challenge ends very, very soon and I want to enter my card. So the DT team are looking for 'Swirls & Pearls' in this weeks challenge. My swirls come in the form of the pattern on the paper and the embossing on the card and the pearls are really fab little ones from The Hobby house
I am also entering this in this weeks Papertake challenge as I have used their lovely sketch by Dawny P and here's my card.....

Off to link it to the challenges.....
TTFN
Kaz xx

Yay.....some play time

Hiya!
Hope you are all enjoying the weekend.
I have finally managed a little play time, my first since going back to school.......Oh boy it's been a busy first week! I surprised myself by actually completing two cards, although I had already coloured both the images a while ago so that saved me a bit of time. I just couldn't resist this gorgeous LOTV new Christmas image.



Coloured with a mix of Promarkers and Prisma pencils and embellished with punched snowflakes & gems and some fab lacy ribbon which was a RAC from my crafty friend the lovely Pauline, thanks hun!

I am just in time to enter the Just Cute Bear challenge for this week and they want to see dots! So I have printed off some Pink Petticoat spotty papers in Teal to go with my LOTV bear image.
I've used the sketch from this fortnights Sunday Sketch & Stamp challenge and a fab one it is too. And finally my card also fits the Simon Says challenge of 'Holiday Fun' ~ Hop over and check out their super blog hop, the prize is a $100 shopping spree!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh I wish......fingers & toes tightly crossed.
Well that's it from me for now.
Thanks for visiting little ol' me.
Kaz xx

What a day!!!!!!!!!!

OMG......you would not believe the day I have had trying to sort out a gas leak at my poor Mum's house. Talk about banging your head against a brick wall. If I had asked the cat so sort it out he would have been more responsive that her insurance company......Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Its been off since yesterday morning and they haven't found an engineer who can come out before......................TUESDAY!!!!! And that's just to "look at the problem and submit a quote"

SIX days with no hot water and no gas cooker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am soooooooooooo angry/upset/frustrated!!!

And to make matters worse I have now missed the challenge dead line for this weeks

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge by half an hour :0( (yes I know my Mum's gas leak is more important) but it just seems like nothing has gone right for me today..............sulk!

OK moan over........here's my card that I would have entered.....

Oooooh I have just remembered ....... I did combine it with another challenge, and I am not too late for this one :0)

The ABC Challenge! The DT guys are looking for BLUE in fact they want 80% blue! Now maths has never been my strong point but there is lots of blue on my card.

Hope you like it.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Kaz xx

TGF Drummer

Hiya!
Looked out the window and guess what.........yep, more rain!!!!!!!!! Even the cat is sulking.
I have a paper round to help with too :0( oh why did I say yes! Can't back out now, I did promise.......ho hum. Best get it over with asap then I can cheer myself up with some crafting. Kids have their own plans for this afternoon so that will be my chance to sneak off and play :0)

Some weeks ago I came across this fab digi image from The Greeting Farm I just HAD to have it as it is PERFECT for my drumming mad son. This is his birthday card I made using the image, he was really chuffed with it "so awesome!" he said.

Here's a close up to show the shimmer of the drums which I painted with H2o's

CHALLENGES:~ Well just the one, I have used the fab sketch from this fortnights
Sketch & Stash challenge It's clean & simple......perfect for a male card! And my newest stash is The Greeting Farm digi image.

:0( Time to get wet in the rain............Best get it over with.

Thanks for stopping by!
Kaz xx

Sketch Saturday meets Critter sketch challenge.....

Needed a card for my FIL asap so set to work last night. Now I am really not keen on doing male cards, and I don't have that many suitable images to choose from either. So I needed a challenge, or two, to get me going. This weeks Critter sketch challenge was 'made to measure'
" This weeks challenge is to create a boy card or scrapbook page. (I figure my FIL's an old boy, so hopefully this will count) The twist is it MUST contain glitter somewhere on your creation." Oooooh.......glitter on a boy card....eeek! OK, so there's my theme.....now for a sketch layout to follow courtesy of the Sketch Saturday challenge team and here's my card

Now you may be wondering where the glitter is, well it is there its just hard to see (honest!) here's a close up, I've used some very fine glitter to add some highlights to the water ripples.

Thanks for visiting
Kaz xx

HM Roasting marshmallow

Used my new HM stamp for the first time last night, have been put off using it as Oh boy is it a whopper of a stamp! I was surprised when it arrived, but then looking at things online can be deceptive...lol. So when I saw the sketch for this weeks Papertake challenge I thought I would give it go. I do love HM stamps as they print so beautifully and the details are fab!


Challenges:~
Papertake challenge ~ a sketch
Cute card Thursday challenge ~ Trees or leaves.
OK I know there's not a lot, but there is just a wee bit of Christmas tree in the image.

Image: HM Roasting Marshmallow
Text: Hero Arts
Paper: Dovecraft Christmas Blues
Colouring medium: Promarkers
Pearls: The Hobby House

I'm hoping this posts OK.....I'm not sure if its because of something I've done, but normally when I upload a pic I can actually see it, but this time all I can see is a ton of garbled text??? Would appreciate it if anyone can tell me how to get back to how it was. OK fingers crossed here goes & thanks for peeking........

P.S Just had a look at it and the link bits don't work either........Help! What have I done wrong???

P.P.S Thanks for the top tips......problem sorted and much neater links now Helen, THANKS!

ABC Christmas challenge

Well I needed a kick on the butt to get me going again and this weeks ABC Christmas Challenge http://abcchristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/ is just the kick I needed. It's a sketch challenge with an optional twist to make more than one card using the sketch............perfect! And what a great sketch it is too, I love it, I've have made 3 cards with it (so far.....)

This first one is my least favourite, the ribbon didn't go on as neatly as I had hoped :0( but I do love this cute PB kitty image.

I've had this FF Bear sitting on my shelf for ages and not used him

(shame on me) He's really great to colour with Promarkers and I've also had my first play with Flower soft on this one.

Ohhh now I adore this Mo Manning image, super cute!

Again coloured with Promarkers and has flower soft added to the 'fury bits'

I've been trying to join in with Christmas card challenges this year and they are brilliant, I don't think I have ever had so many Christmas cards completed by August before!

Hope you like my efforts & thanks for stopping by.

Have a great weekend!

Kaz xx