Happy 4th Birthday Hop on the Papertake Weekly !

Hi all :-) Today we are celebrating our 4th birthday with a fabulous hop and lots of sponsors and candy :-) This is scheduled so I hope this works ,, I will correct any mistakes asap :-)

If you arrived here from our lovely Guest Designer Andie's blog then you are going in the right direction, if not you may wish to start at the Papertake Weekly Challenge blog.

We have lots of sponsors and lots of candy on DT blogs too so we hope you all join in :-)

the theme for this week is

ANYTHING GOES ,,, with the optional extra of using punches

For my card I followed the fab sketch on the Sketch Saturday Challenge. I used a very cute Stamping Bella stamp, this is called Rain Never Stopped Me Abella, coloured with copics and I layered the brolly. It doesn’t show up but I went over the collar and belt with a glaze pen,, looks fabby IRL :-) The papers are Echo Park from the ‘A Walk In The Park’ pack, I used a Martha Stewart border punch and some CC Designs Cloud die cuts, I ran these through a Big Shot in a Swiss Dots folder. I added star dust stickles and some ribbon to finish :-)

I have this fabulous set of Hero Arts stamps from Simon Says Stamp to give away !

If you would like a chance to win them then join in with the challenge and hop and add a link to your blog with Mr Linky :-)

From here you need to hop along to the super talented Lisa's Blog

Good Luck and I hope you enjoy the hop :-)

Challenges ,

Sketch Saturday ,,,,, Sketch

Craft Your Passion ,,, Anything Goes + ribbons

Crafty Cardmakers,,,,, Anything Goes

Time to Stamp, Stamp, Stamp ,,,,,and join us on the Simon Says Anything Goes Challenge :-)

Good Afternoon all :-) Did you know that today is National Card Making Day ?? ,,, it should be international card making day ,, but never mind we can hijack it :-)

Don’t forget that on the Simon Says Stamp Challenge we have an Anything Goes ( plus optional brads) theme this week and are trying to reach the magic 1,000 ,, please link EVERYTHING you make and you might just win a $50 spree to the fabby Simon Says Stamp Superstore !! :-)

I decided to down tools and hide away in my craft room for a couple of hours to make a card just for fun :-) I bought this adorable Changito Stamper recently and what better day than today to give him an outing :-)

I followed the fab sketch on the Sweet and Sassy Stamp Challenge. I coloured the image with copics and paper pieced a few of the papers laying about on the table. I used Chocolate Chip card for layering and the lovely DP are from a Basic Grey Indie Bloom paper pack. I used a Lawn Fawn Alphabet set and added a few Kaiser Crafts gems ( that were a free gift from Simon Says Stamp) The buttons and ribbon were in my messy drawers and I used a little twine too.

Thanks for looking :-) I really appreciate your comments so please leave me one before you rush off

Challenges :

Sweet and Sassy ,,,, Sketch

Stampin for the Weekend ,,, What a Cutie

4 Crafty Chicks ,,,, Anything Goes

Cute Card Thursday ,,,, Animals

Totally Papercrafts ... Autumn :-)

Hi All :-) Hope you're all looking forward to a nice weekend and whatever your plans ,, hope it's a good one :-)

Before moving onto the challenge we have some sad news ,, Scoopy has decided to step down from the team :-( I would like to wish her all the very best and I know we will still be friends and teamies on the HM&F challenge so its not goodbye really :-)

This week on the Totally Papercrafts Challenge it is Scoopy’s turn to choose the theme for the last time ( for now,, we hope she will come back soon ) and she chose ,,,,

AUTUMN !,, now Autumn to me means leaves, Halloween, and Guy Fawkes, wind, rain, browns greens, oranges, reds ,, ,,,,, lots of scope there to join in !! :-)

We are sponsored by the lovely Heidi at Simon Says Stamp and we have a fab parcel of goodies on offer !

Also the Stamp Fairy is sponsoring too so the winner will get a $9 gift certificate to the store :-)

I followed the fab sketch on the Less is More Challenge and must admit I do like how this turned out ! I stamped a leaf, a clear stamp from Stampendous, using Vintage Photo distress ink onto watercolour paper and spritzed with water ( after watching this fabby tutorial by Joy on the Hero Arts Blog). I then cut it out and went around the edges with more ink. The base card is SU Crumb Cake ( bought from Mandi) and I stamped a small square with a script stamp with Hero Arts Grass chalk ink and matted this onto a square of SU Old Olive card. I used some twine to wrap around and added a bow and a Hero Arts sentiment.

Thanks for looking, the DT have made some gorgeous cards for your inspiration so hop on over to the TPC to see them :-)

Challenges:

Less is More ,,,,, Sketch

Crafting for all Seasons ,,, Fall Colours

Stampin Royalty ,, Keep it Simple

Truly Scrumptious ,,, CAS

Simon Says ,,,,,,Anything Goes !

Stamp-tember is almost over !! For a chance to win fabulous crafty candy check out the Simon Says Stamp Blog every day ! ALSO For this whole month there are thousands of products in the Simon Says Stamp store at reduced prices ! NOW is the time to grab a basket and head off for a spot of retail therapy,, !! Don't miss out !!! :-)

Thanks for all your fabulous entries to our Dies and Punches challenge. Your projects were amazing and we really enjoyed seeing them all

This week's challenge is,,,,
ANYTHING GOES

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 :-)

This week the DT have all used BRADS on their creations. You don't have to use them to join in but if you have them why not dig them out and use them :-)

I decided to make a notebook this week :-) It is a very dear friends birthday soon so I made this for her. She does read my blog so I am not mentioning any names but there is a clue on the front wink wink :-)

I made the front using mountboard, from a local framer, covered with Tim Holtz Vintage Shabby paper and I inked the edges with Pumice Stone distress ink, then dabbed with Perfect Pearls powder ,, lovely and shimmery IRL. The typewriter image is from Lawn Fawn , Just My Type set, I stamped it twice, once onto some Basic Grey paper from a Manila pack and then again onto plain white Neenah cardstock. I then coloured and cut the image and popped it onto the paper with pop dots, all the edges were inked with Vintage Photo distress ink. I added a little memo, stamped with a Hero Arts Friends Definition stamp and attached a Basic Grey Out Of Print Epoxy brad . I made a 2nd one using some text manila paper and added a smaller brad from the same set. The ‘S’ is from a Bottle Inc Vintage Typewriter set , popped into a flattened chrome cap and covered with an epoxy dot. I used my Bind It All to finish the book ( I used a shop bought note pad for the pages) and added verious ribbons to the rings :-) I hope she likes it !!!

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

Challenges :

Creative Stamp Friends ,,,, Anything But a Card

Lawnscaping ,,,Text

I’m late ,, sorry PTW !!

Hi all ,,, oh dear ,. I am a day late with this !! I do have a good excuse tho ,, I was in Malta cleaning, and painting a flat ,,, exhausting work, every muscle in my body is aching and my hands are covered in blisters :-)

Before moving onto the challenge we are welcoming a new teamie this week !! MARY :-) Welcome to the team !! :-)

Also ,,, the Papertake Weekly Challenge is 4 years old next week and we are having a party !! We hope you will all come and help us celebrate in style !! :-) No need to bring a bottle ,, just a card will do :-)

This week Dawny has designed a fab sketch for you ,,, I really like this one and will deff use it again :-)

We are sponsored by the lovely Heidi so one lucky entrant will win a fab $20 spree to the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store. There are only a few days left of the Stamp-tember Bonanza, lots of items at discounted prizes and daily candy to be won on the Simon Says Stamp Blog, don’t miss it !!

For my card I used this very cute You’re a Doll stamp from Unity, coloured with Copics, cut out and popped on white card. The papers are My Minds Eye from a Happy Go Lucky pack. I used an EK Success border punch and stamped all the edges with faux sewing, some of the stitches were in the same Unity set and some were Hero Arts clear stamps. The faux buttons are stamps from the set too ,,, cute eh ! I added a twine bow and Basic Grey button, the sentiment is from a Simon Says Stamp exclusives set and I made a little rolled rose with felt :-)

Thanks for looking :-) The DT have made some gorgeous cards for your inspiration so pop over to the PTW to see them, and also say Hi to Mary

Challenges :

Top Tip Tuesday ,,, 2 or more, ribbon, twine,lace,fabric,(I used twine and felt) Tip, when making rolled flowers use felt, so much easier than card !! :-)

Get Hippity with Ippity ,,, Buttons and/or bows and/or bling

Addicted to Stamps ,,, Stitching

Fussy and Fancy ,,, try a new technique ,, making roses with felt.

The winner of my House Mouse and Friends Blog Hop candy

Hi all :-) Thanks to everyone who joined in with our 3rd Birthday Party :-) We had a fabulous time and hope you did too :-)

I have just pressed the button on the random gen and the winner of this candy is ,,,,,

No 48 ,,,ERIN aka Blu Birdie of Happiness

Congratulations :-) Can you please email me with your snail mail address and I will pop the goodies in the post for you :-)

Sparkly House Mousey Christmas ,,,,

Hi all ,, I hope this posts cos I am up a ladder painting the flat in Malta ,,, Amy thought we should decorate ,,,, hmmm ,, it seemed like such a good idea at the time !! Dora ,, you live here ,, if you feel like dropping by with a paintbrush we are in Msida !! :-)

WOW!!! WHAT A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY PARTY IT WAS!!!

Thank you fans for the great BLOG-HOPPING LOVE you've poured on to us at our 3rd BIRTHDAY Celebration!! YOU are the ICING on the CAKE!!! You peeps motivate our TEAM to keep doing what we do and so we want to THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for your incredible support!

We are absolutely thrilled with your beautiful entries that are full of amazing creativity! WOW!! Its going to be super tough to choose our lucky winners for all of those YUMMY PRIZES, but we will be sorting out all the details in the next couple of days. An official announcement will be posted on the House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge blog on Wednesday, September 28th.

This week on the House Mouse and Friends |Monday Challenge it is Sue Scoopy’s turn to choose the theme and she chose

CHRISTMAS SPARKLE

We are sponsored by Di’s Digi Downloads, Di will be giving one lucky person a choice of 3 Digi Downloads and Pizzazz Aplenty who will be giving a $10 goodie pack of fab embellishments :-)

For my card I used this very cute Tis The Season stamp, coloured with copics and I added Rock Candy stickles on the baubles. I stamped an extra image, cut out the star and embossed with silver sparkle powder. The papers are Pink Petticoat downloads and I added a Hero Arts felt snowflake and some ribbon and a button from my stash.

Thanks for looking :-) The DT have made some gorgeous super cute cards for your inspiration so hop on over to the House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge for your inspiration x

If you are looking for the House Mouse and Friends 3rd Birthday Blog Hop click HERE

Spooky Stamp-tember :-)

Hi all :-) I hope you are all having a lovely weekend and finding time to get crafty ,,, :-) This is a long post so get coffee ,,, or you could join me in a glass of red if you prefer !

Today my House Mouse creations are being showcased on the Simon Says Stamp Blog. In honour of this all House Mouse stamps are currently 15% off in the Simon Says Stamp Store !!! This offer ends on Monday at MN Ohio time ,,, (Tuesday 6 am CET 5 am UK time ),,, so now is the time to stock up on these cuties :-) AND every order placed during Stamp-tember gets a free gift added to the parcel too !!

First up is a Halloween card, I am a novice at these as we don’t celebrate Halloween here in Malta, but I do love the images and the chance to use them !

This stamp is called Pumpkins, Ghosts and Mice Oh My ! ( thanks America) I coloured with Copics and inked the edges with Pumice Stone Distress ink. The papers are Authentique Glowing, perfect for Halloween and I used a Martha Stewart Mouse Border punch, a Spider and EK Success Bat punch ( thanks Christine) I finished with some American Crafts twine and an Inkadinkado sentiment.

I made this little treat bag using my Cricut ( YAY !! it’s working !! ) For this I used the Tags and Bags Cart. I used the same Authentique paper pack and the image is Spooktacular Flower. Coloured with Copics cut out and matted onto a Spellbinders Blossom die cut, this was run through my Big Shot in a Swiss Dots folder and then inked with Wild Honey Distress ink. To make the black twine stiffer I smothered it with Claudine Hellmuth Multi Medium Matte. The sentiment is from the same Mini Scary Words set I used on the card.

Next up is a Joy Fold card using Apple Harvest on the outside and Contented Mudpie on the inside. Coloured with me trusty Copics and Star Dust stickles added here and there. The papers are Basic Grey Indian Summer. I added a few Robins Nest Dew Drops and a lovely apple charm, coloured with copics . The ribbon is Tim Holtz coloured with Barn Door distress ink .

Please pop over to the Simon Says Stamp Blog to see the post there ( and please leave a comment) ,, you will be in with a chance to win some fab stamps too !!

Another Pickle ,,,,, :-)

Hi all :-) I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend and managing to find a few minutes of crafty time :-)

The lovely Dulcie from the Wild Rose Studio sent me a couple of these adorable new Pickle Penguin stamps, this one is called Pickle with Sledge I just couldn't wait to ink him up :-)

I coloured him with Copics and inked the edges with a little colorbox chalk ink. The papers are also from the WRS, these are from the Wintry Christmas pack. I added Star Dust stickles here and there and a few Hero Arts gems, and a felt snowflake. I added some Martha Stewart ribbon and a button, which was stamped with a snowflake using white stazon ink, finished with a little bit of twine.

Thanks for looking :-) Please leave me a comment so I know that you popped by :-)

Challenges :

Jingle Belles ,,, Suzy Snowflake ( fab song ,, I have used the snowflakes and sleigh on mine ) :-)

Stampin for the Weekend ,,, What a Cutie

Samuel Taylor ,,, Christmas Card using a stamp

Bearly Mine ,,,, Button it Up

Creative Craft ,,,, Buttons and Bling

Crafty Pad ,,,, Diamonds

Dream Valley ,,, Buttons

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas ,,,,For a child

New Stash ,,,and a funny card ,,, shop bought tho !! :-)

I don't normally post piccy's of my new goodies on my blog but I thought I would make an exception today cos I can !! :-) The only thing wrong with this piccy is that my new HM Nature Bites ran off to chat with his friends so he isn't on this ,,, oops ,,
I really wanted to show you the new Memory Box die, Twigs and Berries,, I just ran it through my Big Shot so that you could see it ,, just look how delicate that twin is ,, gorgeous and perfect for snowmen arms !! I also got some Maya Road Coffee or Tea chipboard shapes ,, aren't they cute !! oohh the new spellbinders ribbon banner ,, can't wait to use that ,,, AND ,, I thought I would try to tidy up a bit and got some EZmount storage panels ,,, LOVE em ,, I now need a couple of folders but I have already got my unmounted house mice all sorted ! What I need to do is stamp them all onto card inserts so I can see what's there more easily ,, this is going to be fab for my Tilda's too ! I feel a craft room tidy up coming on ,,,,, :-)

Now I don't feel so bad that I'm not going to the Ally Pally this weekend ,,, for those of you that are going ,,, have fun and Spend Spend Spend !! You're Worth It !!!! :-)

Now I will show you a card that our friends bought for Ray ,,, ( Hubby's B'day today)



Ray is on the waiting list for new hips ,,, so this card is even more funny ha ha ,, poor Ray ,,,not funny no ,, slap me legs ,,, :-)

Don't forget it is almost the end of Stamp-tember over at Simon Says Stamp, they have loads of products at discounted prices AND everyone will get a free gift with every order placed this month AND they have daily candy give aways on the Simon Says Stamp Blog ,,, so hop on over there and you might just win !! :-)

Ok ,, off to bake a cake ,, it will be a HUGE one to fit all his candles on ,,,, :-)

Thanks !!! :-)

Hi all ,, this week it is my turn to choose the theme over on the Totally Papercrafts Challenge and I chose

THANK YOU

I should have chosen Happy Birthday as it is Hubby's birthday today and I made him a very quick card late last night ,,, not sure I will blog it ,,, not one of me best efforts ,, but it's the thought that counts eh !! :-)

We are sponsored this week by Stitchy Bear Stamps so a fab prize of 5 digi images for one lucky entrant.

I have been joining in with Jennifer McGuire’s Inspiration Showcase class and have been experimenting with techniques this week :-)

I inked a Hero Arts background stamp with Faded Jeans distress ink, I then ‘kissed’ it with Hero Arts swirly stamp to remove some ink, then sprayed the stamp with pearl glimmer mist and then stamped it onto some plain white card ,,, it does look fab IRL ,, very shimmery. I then stamped a Judikins butterfly with Versamark ink and embossed with clear powder, coloured with distress ink then cut it out, smothered with rock candy stickles and when dry popped it on there with glossy accents to the body and pop dots under the wings. Think thats it ,,,, oh yes ,, sentiment is Hero arts too and so are all the lovely gems

Thanks for all your wonderful inspiration Jen ,,,not that she will see this but better to say thanks and be safe eh !! :-)

The DT have really made some wonderful cards for your inspiration so pop over to the TPC to see them :-)

Challenges :

Truly Scrumptious ,,, CAS

Less Is More ,,, Anything Goes

Simon Says ,,,,,,,,,Use Dies and/or Punches :-)

Stamp-tember is almost over !! For a chance to win fabulous crafty candy check out the Simon Says Stamp Blog every day ! ALSO For this whole month there are thousands of products in the Simon Says Stamp store at reduced prices ! NOW is the time to grab a basket and head off for a spot of retail therapy,, !! Don't miss out !!! :-)

Thanks for all your fabulous entries to our Sing It challenge :-) We really had a great time singing along with you all and also enjoyed your movie themes too, many were very funny and we had alot of fun hopping around to see all your creations :-)

This week's challenge is,,,,
Use Dies and/or Punches ,,,
so use dies and/or punches on your creations

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 :-)

This week the DT have all used My Favorite Things Stamps and/or Die-namics Dies on their creations. You don't have to use them to join in but if you have them why not dig them out and use them :-)

I am currently taking part in the Jennifer McGuire Inspiration Showcase classes and I have been inspired to NOT use designer paper on my card this week but to make my own I had alot of fun with my inks, embossing folders, powders and heat gun :-)

For my card I used my very cute My Favorite Things ‘Time for the Bubbly’ stamp set. I coloured the image with Copics and tried to make the wallpaper look a bit textured by pouncing the tip of the copic over it. I added Star Dust Stickles on the bubbles and Glossy Accents on the wine glass.

The paper at the top was made using some glossy card, I stamped the spots using a Penny Black Design Spotter cling stamp and Versamark ink. I then sprinkled with white EP and heat set. I then swirled some Dusty Concord distress ink over the top.

For the bottom half I inked my Spots and Dots folder with Versamagic Aquatic Splash and run some plain white card through the big shot.

I added some Tim Holtz ribbon, it looks like a garter and added some satin ribbon, a triple bow and a MFT rolled rose ( LOVE this die ! ) and popped a little pearl in the middle. I made the sentiment into a wall hanging and hung it on a brad with some silver chain.

Alberto and the DT have made some gorgeous creations for your inspiration so hop on over to the Simon Says Stamp Challenge to see them

Challenges :

ooh La La ,,, Dies and Punches

Stamp With Fun ,,,, Anything Goes

Stamp &Fun =Creativity Shapes and/or die cuts

Aly’s Sunday ,,, Bows

Corrosive ,, Punches and/or Dies

One Stop Craft , Girly