Look Who's Back !!

Those clever girls at LILI OF THE VALLEY know what we like - in fact they know what we like so much that they are re-releasing some of the gorgeous stamps that had previously been retired.

The first two to make a come-back are Spring Bunny with Daffs and Balloon Bunny - they are available on the website RIGHT NOW!  Limited numbers so be there or be bunnyless.  Over the next few weeks there will be more stamps making a return so keep your eyes open for them.

I think you might be able to work out which one of the two that I have used for this card for the Design Collective.

Lots of ingredients for this J fold card so here we go

Well of course it is, Spring Bunny with Daffs!

Image painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment is LOTV Scroll Sentiments

Papers are all old K&Co (the daffodil pad and the daisy pad)

Border die is Magnolia (think it might be Swedish Lace)

Corner dies are by Whimsy

Three toned green ribbon by Anita's

Resin flowers bought in Lakeland (been waiting for a chance to get them out again)

I hope you are having a Happy Friday!

Rosie sends her love ....

Hugs to all

Squirrel xxx

A Hanglar Birthday Boy

Evening all, well, here we are, mid-week - so it'll soon be the weekend again, yipee!

Just a little card for you today - I was playing with my Hanglar Message kit and came up with this - so straightforward, but it is for a man, ha ha!

Camera has distorted the colours a bit.  Image painted with distress inks, the message banner is stamped with a LOTV sentiment and layered over the boy image.  Papers are a mixture of K&Co, Dovecraft and Papermania.  And that's it.

Hugs, Sxx

LOTV Sketch + CCT Spring

Guess what?  I stopped in my little furry tracks this morning because ..............we FINALLY, after four months of standing in the snow, the wind and the rain, FINALLY, we have a new bus shelter!  And it's a posh one, with proper sides and a front and a roof!  I can hardly contain my excitement!  We're having a house warming party on Monday, lol! 

Anyhoo, I made this card last night after seeing Bev's brilliant sketch over on the LILI OF THE VALLEY challenge and, because it is soooooo long since I played there, this is going in to the CUTE CARD THURSDAY challenge who are looking for Signs Of Spring this week.

I'll apologise now for the photo - I had to take it using the flash and then tweek the white balance on Photoshop.  It's not brilliant so I'll try and swap it if we get some daylight tomorrow.

The LOTV bunny is another one of those stamps that is so cute but I haven't used much so I thought it was time he had an outing.  He is painted with distress inks.  Papers are mostly K&Co from the pad that has the daisy on the front, and a sheet of Basic Grey for the bright green bottom layer and the strip.  The white daisy ribbon around the part circle is sticky ribbon (what a wonderful invention).  EK Success retro flower punch with Martha Stewart frond and branch and Card Candy for the flowers.  The little sentiment is LOTV also.

Hope you like it.

Hugs, Sxx

Thank You - Cute Card Thursday

Can you believe that it is New Year's Eve?  What happened to Christmas?  And hasn't the "festive" tv been absolutely dreadful this year?  Or is that just me getting older and jaded?  On second thoughts, don't answer that!

As you may have noticed, I've stepped down for the time being from the DTs that were kind enough to have me.  Life gets in the way of many things and personal issues meant that I wasn't able to give the amount of time I wanted to so that I could be a good DT member instead of a skin-of-the-teeth one.  In the last ten days I have even considered, very briefly, selling all my stamps and stash (Samantha, sit DOWN!!) but then reason took over.  Put that nano-second of insanity down to too many chocolate brazil nuts.  But just because I'm not DTing, it doesn't mean I'm not crafting.

Here is a little card to end 2010 with for the CUTE CARD THURSDAY challenge whose theme is THANK YOU. 

I love this little House Mouse image, so useful for so many things.  Coloured with distress inks.  Sentiment is Personal Impressions and papers are a mixture of old ones from K&Co and Making Memories.  Corner die is a Sizzlets photo corner.  A very CAS card but it does what it says on the tin!

Edited to thank Delphine and Ann for letting me know about the Cupcake Craft Challenge and Phindys Friday Challenge who also have Thank You as a theme. 

Anyone making any Resolutions?  The only one that I can publish here is that I will make a bigger effort to hop round and visit all your blogs more often.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year, and here's to a better, brighter, happier and healthier 2011 for all of us.

Hugs, Sxx

LOTV Challenge # 56 - Dawny's Sketch

Hello Crafters! Yes, it is me, and yes, it is Friday - you are not imagining things.  Me and the Toadster are taking another long weekend.  Yay!

And to start my weekend off nicely, what better way than a little bit of crafting?!  Mind you, it is like a bread oven in my conservatory/craft space so am feeling a little wilted now.  My once fluffy tail is a tad droopy, but the less said about that the better.  I shall go and stick my head in the fridge shortly, that'll make me feel better.

Anyho, I digress - here is my card for this week's super LILI OF THE VALLEY challenge which features a fab sketch from Dawny

I turned the sketch upside down so that the text was on the right side of the image I wanted to use.

I used the sweetest baby stamp from LOTV's recent release and it just felt like it needed to be a vintage feel.  Papers are Dovecraft and K & Co with the red matting (actually the reverse of a deep pink) from Bazzil Bling.  The sentiment is from Sugar Nellie, it came with my Little Cotton Rabbits, and I think it works ok.  Craftwork Cards Card Candy to finish off - thanks Kath, these will last me a lifetime hun!

Who's Been Eating My Porridge? (2 challenges)

Somewhere, back in the mists of time, my darlin' Oldies and me (their one and only) became known as Daddy Bear, Mummy Bear and Baby Bear - very silly, but it kinda stuck.  Now, without really thinking about it, I seem to have created birthday cards for the Oldie Bears!

Two challenges with these cards - the first is

CUTE CARD THURSDAY who set the challenge of no designer papers .... eek!

My dad is reknowned for hiding in his shed so this Lili Of The Valley Busy Bear fits him perfectly.  Coloured with Copics. I've used a little piece of DCWV Neutral Stack card for matting, added some tool brads to the corners.  The background I swiped the white card with a tan Memento ink and then overstamped it with a wooden plank stamp from High Hopes.  The wood birthday sentiment is also High Hopes.  Finished off with copper coloured border peel-offs.

Then I had to do one for mum as well didn't I so when I saw Bev had done a sketch for LILI OF THE VALLEY I was away

I had to cheat a bit (sorry Bev) and not use an oval as it didn't fit the image.  This adorable Lili Of The Valley stamp suits mum so well as she is the flower queen of the village.  Again, coloured with Copics.  Papers are K&Co and this was my first go with 3D flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts.  I think I'm hooked now.  Sentiment is Craftwork Cards.

Thanks so much for taking time to pop in and see me.  Just before I go, a quick update on the wrist situation (thanks so much for all the good wishes and kind words you have sent).  I got the results of some tests this week and my GP is now ruling out tendonitis (it wasn't him that gave the original diagnosis).  He is now thinking along the lines of a deep seated infection following on from a virus which has inflammed all the joints (about the only things that don't hurt at the moment are my feet).  So, he's put me on another course of hefty anti-inflammatories and I'm to go back in two weeks if I don't notice any improvement.  This could well explain why I've been feeling so totally wiped out the whole time and haven't had any energy for months.  It's a struggle getting through a week at work but I'm taking one day at a time just now.  Thanks again for all your thoughts.

Being treated to a late lunch/early tea over at the pub today and we're meeting a friend over there as she's on her own this weekend - guess the diet's out the window!!

Catch ya's later

Hugs, Squirrel xx

Totally Gorjuss # 32 - Wings

Yoo-hoo! Weekend + 1 - marvellous. Actually, as me and the Toad have booked a couple of long weekends in June, I won't be working a full five day week again until early July!  Yay me!

Oh do shut up Squirrel and get on with it ....... right, it's Saturday and that can only mean one thing, it's TOTALLY GORJUSS challenge time!  Thanks for all your blinging entries last week, wow you guys love your sparkle, check out the blog to see who has been selected as the winner.  And this week's theme that Net has set for us is Wings - not sure if Net was dreaming of a BA flight to somewhere warmer when she chose this one!!  Here is my DT card

Papers are K&Co, the super sweet fairy is High Hopes, the sentiment LOTV, cloud shapes cut with Nestabilities, gems and sparkling borders from stash. Image coloured with Copics.

Short and sweet today, got quite a bit to get on with, including the Turkish Grand Prix, so I'll scamper off but hope to catch up with you all later at Totally Gorjuss

Hugs, Squirrel xxx

Boing!

Hi everyone, hope your day is going well so far.  Bit grey and mizz here but at least it's not raining - yet. Having a bit of a no-go-mojo at the moment - totally lacking energy or enthusiasm for anything and I am blaming work for that!  I'm so shattered in the evenings that I'm sleep in the chair straight after dinner but then my head is whizzing at 2.00am.  Perhaps I'm turning nocturnal.

Anyway, had a go at a few challenges for this one card and they are:
Allsorts Challenge Spring Is In The Air
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge Spring Has Sprung
Crafty Catz Spring
Creative Inspirations White Yellow and Green
Simon Says A Splash of Green, and
Sketch Saturday Challenge No 95

Lovely sketch, and I shall certainly be playing with this one again.  So here is my card -

Isn't this just one of the cutest rabbits you have ever seen?  It's one of the delectible range of stamps from Lili Of The Valley (I am so loving their designer range) and he is coloured with Copics.  Papers are a mixture of K&Co Daffodil and K&Co Daisies.  Heart border is Martha Stewart punch on a piece of green pearlescent I had in stash.  The curly-wurly spring(ish) borders and straight borders are from stash.

Now I need to dash off and make a weddding anniversary card for the Oldies - it will be their 51st next weekend!

TTFN

Hugs, Squirrel xx

Penny Black + Cute Thursday + Sketch Saturday

Isn't this sunshine wonderful?  We woke up this morning to a thin covering of snow that positively sparkled in the sun.  It looked like the world had been sprinkled in glamour dust!

And so to today's card - I hope this one will fit the following three challenges:
Sketch Saturday Challenge Week 88

Penny Black Saturday Challenge Someone Special (Week 88) and

Cute Card Thursday Blooming Gorgeous (Challenge 97)

I made this with my new sister-in-law in mind, it's her first birthday as a member of the family in a few days time.

I've used Penny Black's adorable cat (I think the stamp is called You're The Best but I forgot to check) and he's coloured with Copics and ProMarkers.  Papers are from K&Co - Tim Coffey's Daffodils pad and Daisies pad.  I love these bright, zesty, springy colours.  Flowers, spacers and sparkly gems are from stash and tiny golden brads are Woodware.  Sentiment is Personal Impressions.  Flourishes done with Sizzix dies.

Thanks for popping over to see me, always fab to have friends round!

Hugs, Squirrel xx

LOTV x 2

Being a naughty squirrel, I had a bit of a crafting binge in the couple of weeks after Christmas and now all my new goodies have arrived!  Thought I would have a little play with two of my Lili Of The Valley stamps this afternoon ....

The first is for a very special little lad for this birthday .. I'm always at a loss for teenage boys as their tastes change so much between 13 and 19.  They go from children to men in the blink of an eye.  This certain fella is 13.

I wanted to keep it simple as I'm pretty sure that even at 13 he ain't gonna want flowers!  Papers are a mix of K&Co and Basic Grey with DCWV cardstock.  Image is coloured with ProMarkers and sentiment is Penny Black, the silver brads are Woodware.

And I just could not resist this little ted, what a cutie.  Again coloured with ProMarkers, papers are K&Co and from my overflowing goodie bag received from the wonderful Marcea (thanks hunny, they are delish), cardstock is from stash and border punch is Martha Stewart deep trellis.  Iridescent gems are Papermania and peel-off borders from stash.

Thought I might enter this one for the new challenge blog at Just Cute Bears 

Thanks for popping by to have a peek, your comments are always much appreciated.  Off to have another little play!

Hugs, Squirrel xx