Simon Says ,,,,,,, Thanksgiving/Thank You

Hi all :-) I hope you're all fit and well and looking forward to another crafty challenge !! :-)

We loved seeing all your fabulous creations last week ,,, lots of Poppies and lots of Red/Green colour combo's too so Thank You to everyone who joined in.

Simon Says ,,,,,,,, THANKSGIVING/THANK YOU
Next week the U.S will be celebrating Thanksgiving so we are dedicating this challenge to Giving Thanks, for those of us who don't celebrate we can make Thank You cards/creations instead :-)

As usual Heidi will be giving one lucky entrant a $50 voucher to her FANTASTIC Simon Says Stamp Superstore !! For fabulous tutorials, inspiration and candy you should keep an eye on the Simon Says Stamp Blog too

Its a good idea to keep a check on the All New Just In Pages , there is invariably some new goodies listed and it is a handy way to keep up to date with all things new and crafty !!

The Design Team arew showcasing Hero Arts products this week. You don't HAVE to use them to join in but if you have them then why not use them !

For my card I used this card by Joy as my inspiration :-) I used my new Hero Arts Stamp and Emboss Collage Background stamp. This is the first time I have inked it up but I plan on going some experimenting with different colours and techniques, I really LOVE this stamp ! and when you run it through your machine in the embossing folder it takes on a new dimension ,,, AWESOME :-)

I stamped the image with Versamark ink on a sheet of beige plain paper in a Basic Grey Little Black Dress pack and embossed with Clear EP I then inked using Fired Brick, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Distress Inks. I then sprayed the whole thing with Perfect Pearls Pearl Glimmer Mist, it looks really shimmery IRL :-) When dry I then embossed with the folder. I stamped the butterfly part of the image again using Vintage Photo ink , embossed and coloured with the same inks. I then cut this out and popped it up on pop dots. I layered with brown, kraft and red card and wrapped some Hero Arts Designer Twine around the bottom , tied a triple bow and made a little ‘thanks’ tag. I added a few Hero Earth Dots and punched a Martha Stewart Butterfly, coloured with inks and glittered with Star Dust stickles, I also added a few drops of Walnut Brown Viva pearl pen along its body and a few Hero Arts pearls to finish. It sounds more complicated than it was ,,, it was REALLY easy :-)

Our lovely Designer in the Spotlight, America, and the DT have made some gorgeous cards for your inspiration so hop on over to the Simon Says Stamp Challenge to see them

I have a candy at the top of my blog if you would like to join in, It closes soon :-)

Challenges :

Creative Card Crew,,,,, Thankful

Creative Craft ,,, Minimalistic

Corrosive ,,,,,, Give Thanks

Lollipop Crafts,,,, Embossing and no Designer Paper

Stamptacular Sunday ,,, Punch It

Challenge Up Your Life ,,,, Friendship

700 Followers Candy

Hi all ,,, I now have 699 followers !! WOO HOO !! so I thought I would thank you all with some candy :-) I thought that instead of me choosing things for you and posting a piccy on here I would let you choose your own from the one and only FABULOUS Simon Says Stamp Store ,,, where else !!! :-)

If you would like a chance to win this $50 voucher then these are the rules,,, not many :-)

1, Add your name to Mr Linky. Please enter only once to make it fair on everyone :-)

2, Post this voucher on your sidebar with a link back to my blog.

3, Optional ,,, If you Twitter then I would appreciate it if you followed me ,, I will do the same for you, the link is at the top of my sidebar :-)

You have until 18th November MN CET to add your link and I will draw the winner soon afterwards :-)

Good Luck to all ,, the winner will be drawn at random.

Papertake Weekly ,,,, When is a card not a card ,,

When its a ,,,,, When it's a ..... card with a difference so do one that could double up as a gift ie stationery holder, wallet, bag card. :-)

We are sponsored by our lovely teamies Mary and Andrea, aka The Ribbon Girl(s) , so a fabby pack of ribbons and embellies on offer for one lucky entrant :-)

I am currently taking part in the Holiday Card Boot Camp online class and have CASE’d my card from one made in there by Kristina Werner. I can’t show you her card, if you would like to see it you will have to enrol and join in !! :-) ( hers is nicer :-))

I made a basic DL card using Kraft card , embossed a piece of red card using a Cuttlebug folder and made a border of green using an EK Success snowflake border punch. I used a Spellbinders circle die to cut out a piece of white card and embossed with a Swiss Dots folder, then inked with Forrest Moss DI. The little robin is a felt sticker from a Basic Grey Woolies Jovial Felt sticker pack ,, sooo cute ! I embossed a Hero Arts sentiment with white EP and added a BG button and made a bow using twine from The Ribbon Girl. I finished with a few faux stitches using a white gel pen.

Now ,, this is where things went horribly wrong ,,, I stitched the edges and stuck a strip of Echo Park striped paper across the top(so far so good). Then I remembered a patterned wheel that I have had in my drawer for a couple of years ( thanks Alison xx :-)) and thought now would be a good time to use it !!! BIG MISTAKE !! I tested it a couple of times on scrap paper and it worked fine ,,, then I rolled it across my card ,,, UPSIDE DOWN!! not only that but some ‘almost’ dry ink decided to spray out from it too and made a right mess. I did manage to scrape most of it off with a craft knife and then covered most of what was left with a strip of card and the sentiment sticker ( which was in the Echo Park paper pack ) ,,,,, I think we all have these days eh !! DON'T say No !!!! lol

Thanks for looking :-) Our lovely GD and the DT have made some really innovative creations for your inspiration so hop on over to the PTW to see them :-)

I have a candy at the top of my blog ,,, which will end in a couple of days , so please join in :-)

Challenges :

Jingle Belles ,,,, Use Stickers

C.R.A.F.T ,,,,,, Cute

Creative Craft ,,,, Minimalistic

EAC ,,, Little Present ( this is my present to my DS ,, shhh , I may pop a little more money in IF he is good ) :-)

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer ,,, tra la la la la ,,,,,:-)

Hi all :-) I hope you’re all having a fabulous weekend and managing to get some crafty time :-)

I have put everything to one side so that I can join in with the fab sketch challenge over on the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge , our very own America is sponsoring the challenge on behalf of the House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge ( whose theme is Thankful/Thank you) and she is giving away 2 fabulous House Mouse stamps ,,, neither of which I own so I will be keeping my fingers crossed :-) You could use the skech and make a Thank You card and join in both !! :-)

I used this very cute on dasher On Dancer image ,, sooo cute :-) I coloured with Copics and inked the edges with Vintage Photo DI, the paper is Basic Grey from the Jovial pack , all the edeges were distressed and then stitched. I used a Memory Box Twigs and berries die, LOVE this ! I used plain white card for the die cuts and coloured the branches with copics and the leaves with distress inks, I also used a Martha Stewart Holly punch for the bottom corner, I added a few Hero Arts red gems, Star Dust Stickles and some Jillibean Soup twine to finish.

Thanks for looking :-) I have some candy at the top of my blog if you haven’t already joined in

Challenges :

Midnight Madness,,,,,, Sketch

Bah Humbug ,,,, Baby’s 1st X mas ( it is Monica’s 1st Christmas ,, she is the baby in the basket )

Fun with Shapes and More ,,, Must use die cute ,, use something 3 times, the twigs and berries die

Winter Wonderland ,,, a Christmas Mouse

Dutch Dare ,,, Punches and Dies

Moving Along with the Times ,,, Fairy Tale Cards ,, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Top Tip Tuesday ,,,, Anything Christmas ( 3rd entry)

Make My Monday ,,, Christmas ( Vintage/Traditional)

Totally Gorjuss ,,, Christmas Traditions ,,, going to collect a tree :-)

Totally Papercrafts ,,,,,, Victorian Challenge :-)

This week on the Totally Papercrafts Challenge Victoria chose the theme and she chose ,,,,,

VICTORIAN ,,, we are expecting LOADS of entries this week !!!! :-)

We are sponsored by the lovely Melissa from Meljen Designs so some gorgeous digi’s on offer this week :-)

I thought that in Victorian times it was very fashionable to have ‘Soiree’s’ and have a little entertainment around the piano after dinner,,, well that’s where my inspiration came from anyways ,,,, :-)

I love this Party Cats stamp set from Crafty Secrets , very cute images and sentiments on there. I decided to make gate-fold card today. I coloured the image with Copics and inked the edges with Vintage Photo DI. The papers and cardstock is all from SU ( thanks Mandi) and I stitched all the edges on my machine . I used a Spellbinders Lattice Rectangle and a Ribbon Banner, stamped with a sentiment from the set, I popped the banner on a strip of satin ribbon from The Ribbon Girl, I made a rosette using a TH Mini Rosette die cut and popped a musical brad on top.

I stamped a little mouse and sentiment on the inside to finish.

Thanks for looking, our fab GD Lisa and the DT have all made some gorgeous cards for your inspiration so hop on over to the TPC to see them.

Before you rush off I have a blog candy at the top of my blog that you might like to join in with

Challenges:

Southern Girls ,,,, Inspired by a song

Crafts and Me ,,,, Birthdays

Fashionable Stamping ,,, In Times Gone By

Crafty Emma ,, Entertain Us Song or Film

Do You Stack Up ,,,, Inspired by a Song

ABC Christmas ,, ‘W’ for Winter Sports

Hi all :-) Time is flying by and Christmas will be here in only 6 weeks !! If you haven’t started your cards yet then you are LATE !! Better get inky and join us !! :-)

Our challenge for the next fortnight is ,,,

‘W’ for Winter Sports ,, ice skating, sledding, ski-ing, even ice fishing !!

We are sponsored by the lovely Heidi at Simon Says Stamp so a fab $15 voucher on offer for one lucky entrant

AND the Stamp Fairy are sponsoring too so you could win a choice of 3 digi images too :-)

For my card I used this very cute Penguin Sled stamp from Penny Black. I coloured with Copics and added Polar White flower soft to their hats and Glossy Accents on their beaks. I embossed a the background white card with a Sizzix Dots folder, the snowflake paper is a digi download from Pink Petticoat and I layered everything onto silver stardream card. I used Martha Stewart Icicle and snowflake punches and pounced a Pearl Paint Dabber onto a trip of white card to place under the ribbon ( from the Ribbon Girl) I added a button, twine and a lovely hat charm that was a RAK from America xx I used loads od Star Dust Stickles and a Robins Nest Metallic Dew Drop to finish.

Thanks for looking :-) the DT and the Stamp Fairy DT have all made some gorgeous cards for you to see so hop on over to the ABC Christmas Challenge to see them.

I have a candy at the top of my blog if you would like to see it :-)

Challenges

Penny Black Saturday .,,,, Christmas + Silver and Snowflakes

EAC ….. Advent

Top Tip Tuesday ,,,, Christmas

Stamp & Fun = Creativity ,,,,,, Winter

I Did It Creations ,,,, Christmas/Winter

Winter Wonderland ,,,, Sparkle

Truly Scrumptious ,,, Bingo ,, 3 down embossing, buttons, ribbon

Simon Says ,,,,, Photo Inspiration (Poppy Field)

Thanks for all your fabulous entries to our BUTTONS Challenge! There were so many fabulous entries, and so many buttons :-)

This week Simon Says .........
Use this photo for INSPIRATION!!

Isn't it gorgeous? A field full of poppies, which is perfect for Remembrance Day in Commonwealth Countries and Veterans Day in the USA :-)

As usual Heidi will be giving one lucky entrant a $50 voucher to her FANTASTIC Simon Says Stamp Superstore!! For fabulous tutorials, inspiration and candy you should keep an eye on the Simon Says Stamp Blog too!!

Its a good idea to keep a check on the All New Just In Pages , there is ALWAYS some new goodies listed and it is a handy way to keep up to date with all things new and crafty!!

For my card I followed the fab sketch on the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge.


I used this very cute House Mouse Special Delivery stamp. Coloured with copics and the edges inked with Stormy Sky DI, I then added loads of Star Dust stickles for the rain. The papers are Basic Grey from a Boxer pack and I made a poppy look alike flower :-) I coloured white card with Fired Brick DI and used a Spellbinders Spiral Blossom die, wound it around, fixed with blob of glue from a glue gun, added a blob of glossy accents in the middle and sprinkled with black glitter, it looks fab IRL but doesn’t show on the piccy. I used my lovely Heart Swirl die ( love this) and the sentiment was made using my fab new Hero Arts Stamp and Die Cut Floral set. I finished with some red organza ribbon, a BG button and some black American Tag twine.

Thanks for looking :-) America and the DT have made some gorgeous cards for your inspiration so hop on over to the Simon Says Stamp Challenge to see them :-)

I have a candy at the top of my blog if you would like to see it

Challenges :

Stamptacular Sunday ,,,, Sketch

Celebrate the Occasion ,,,, Veterans day

Crafty Emma ,, Song or Film ,, Raindrops are Falling On my head

Rainbow Lady’s ,,, A Time to Remember with Poppies

Papertake Weekly ,,,,, Christmas :-)

Hi all :-) Another Tuesday and time for a new theme over on the Papertake Weekly Challenge :-)

We are getting ready for ,,

CHRISTMAS !!

This week we are sponsored by

the lovely Tracy at Dies to Die For so a fabulous prize on offer for one lucky entrant :-) Thanks Tracy

For my card I followed the fab sketch on the Sketch Saturday Challenge. This Let It Snow image is one of the first Penny Black stamps that I ever bought and is till one of my faves ,, such a happy little mouse :-) I stamped him twice, coloured with Copics and cut him out to layer him on pop dots and inked the edges with Stormy Sky DI.

I made the background paper using a PB Design Spotter cling stamp, I stamped the image with Versamark on white card and embossed with Hero Arts White Embossing Powder, I then covered with Stormy Sky DI and inked the edges with Pumice Stone then sprinkled Perfect Pearls along the edges for a lovely silvery shimmery look. I embossed a piece of Silver Stardream card in a Cuttlebug snowflake folder, pounced a Pearl Paint Dabber across a thin strip, which you can barely see as it is underneath the ribbon but it is lovely IRL. i finished with a couple of punched Martha Stewart snowflakes, these were also pounced with the dabber ,, my FAVE new product !! If you haven’t got one ,,, you NEED one

I kept the embellies very simple as I didn’t want to take the focus away from the lovely background and also I need it to fit in an envelope !! Last year I spent HOURS removing embellies and substituting for flatter ones …. lesson learnt !!

Thanks for looking :-) our lovely GD’s and the DT have made some gorgeous cards for you to see so hop on over to the PTW to see them. I have a candy at the top of my blog if you would like to join in

Challenges :

Sketch Saturday ,,,,, Sketch

Penny Black Saturday ,,,, Christmas, Silver and Snowflakes

Cards for Men ,,, Christmas + Masculine

Stamps & Fun =Creativity ,,,, Winter

I Did It Creations ,,, Christmas/Winter

Christmas Stampin’ All Year Long ,,,,, Use your favourite sketch

Top Tip Tuesday ,,, Anything Christmas ( tip, pour a little talcum powder into a scrap of cotton, a piece of old shirt is perfect, and rub this over card before stamping and heat embossing, it is antistatic and prevents stray specks of powder sticking )

House Mouse and Friends Thankful Challenge

Hi all :-)

The challenge for the next fortnight on the House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge was chosen by the lovely Stacy and she chose ,,,

Thank You/Thankful Cards/creations :-)

We all need to keep a few of these handy eh ! :-)

All you have to do is make something to fit the theme and make sure you use a House Mouse, Happy Hopper or Gruffie image :-)

We have 2 wonderful sponsors this week ! :-)

PRIZE ; A $15 Gift Card PRIZE to the Simon Says Stamp store!

AND

PRIZE ; $10 of embellishments from Pizzazz Aplenty

We have 2 fabulous Guest Designers joining us for November, welcome aboard Julia and NanaConnie :-)

I love this Amanda Writes stamp, it is so versatile you can use it for any occasion,, just write what you like !! Happy Birthday, ‘Hello’, Merry Christmas even !! I coloured with Copics and used a glaze pen on the fountain pen. I scored 2 lines across the bottom and stamped a continuous ‘Just a note to say’ in between them. The papers are from SU ( thanks Mandy) and I used a Sizzix Dots folder and a Martha Stewart border punch for the strip. I had some navy ribbon in my drawer and I used a red button, some black twine and a few Robins Nest Dew Drops. I wrote ‘thanks’, not too neatly ( yes deliberately !!! ) and faux stitched the edge ,,, added some Star Dust stickles to finish.:-)

Thanks for looking :-) Julia, Connie and the DT have all made fabulous cards for your inspiration so hop on over to the HM&F Monday Challenge to see them.

Have you joined in with my candy ?? It is posted at the top of my blog if you would like to see it

Challenges :

Fussy and Fancy ,,,, Be Thankful

Charisma Cardz ,,, Cutesy (2nd entry)

Paper Play ,,, Button Up

My Mum’s Craft Shop ,,,, With Thanks

Sweet Stamps ,,,,,, Thankful

Tuesday Throwdown,,,, Thanks

Totally Papercrafts ,,,,, Stitching Challenge :-)

Hi all :-) It is almost the weekend ,, again ,, where do the weeks go ??

This week we have a couple off announcements to make ,, we are welcoming 3 new DT members to the team !! Wendy, Dora and Linda :-) Welcome aboard :-) We also have the pleasure to invite Lisa who is joining us as out guest Designer for the next 2 months :-)

This week it is the boss, Cathy's, turn to choose the theme and she chose ,,,

STITCHING ! :-)

I do love sewing on my cards and have my machine constantly plugged in but you can use faux or hand stitching too if you prefer :-)

We are sponsored by Susie from Die Cut Dreams and she will be giving one lucky entrant a lovely assortment of Tibetan silver charms :-) Thanks Susie xx

For my card I just HAD to use my new House Mouse stamp ! This is the new stamp of the month for November and is called ‘Balanced Diet’ ,, soo cute ! :-) I coloured with Copics and inked the edges with Tumbled Glass DI, I then added dots of Glossy Accents to the sprinkles and Star Dust stickles here and there. The papers are My Minds Eye from the Life of the Party pack and I used some Chocolate Chip SU card and Whitewash Coredinations too. I embossed the panel of Coredinations with a Sizzix Dots folder and sewed all the edges on my machine. I added a ribbon and BG Button with twine and the sentiment is from a Simon Says Stamp Exclusives set.

I followed the fab sketch on the Midnight Madness Challenge. America, on behalf of the House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge is sponsoring with 2 gorgeous HM stamps this week, neither of which I own so I will be keeping my fingers crossed :-)

Thanks for looking :-) Please pop over to the TPC to say ‘Hi’ to our new DT and GD girls and please leave comments too ,, we all like to read them eh ! :-)

I have a candy at the top of my blog if you would like to join in

Challenges :

Midnight Madness ,,,, Sketch

CCEE Stampers Use 4 different embellies. ribbon, twine, button, gem.

Moving Along With The Times ,, Food and Drink

Paper Play ,,,,, Button Up

Stampavie and More ,,,, Anything Goes

Charisma Cardz ,,,, Cutesy ( nothing cuter than HM :-))

My Inspiration Showcase Canvas ,,,,

Hi all :-) I just wanted to show you my finished 12X12 canvas that I made following the Jennifer McGuire Inspiration Showcase online course. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and will be popping back into the site to make a few Jennifer inspired cards too :-) THANKS JENNIFER :-), not that she will read this ,, but ya never know eh !! :-)

This is now hanging on my craft room wall and as well as looking FAB it is a reference board showcasing various stamping and colouring techniques :-) I have also made one for my lovely Boss Heidi at Simon Says Stamp to hang on her new office wall :-) I hope she likes it !

There is another course starting on Monday, Holiday Boot Camp, which is all about Christmas creations ,, I am looking forward to joining in with this one too ! Can't wait !!! :-) For those of us who are quite isolated from a crafty community these online courses are just brilliant :-)

If you haven't entered my 700 follower candy yet you can see it at the top of my blog :-)

luv