Cute & Girly with The Crafty Pad

Super Sunday folks!

It is time for a new challenge with
The Crafty Pad!

This week we are getting
Cute & Girly!
 This is my favourite challenge theme,
so I would love if you played along with us!

I don't think you can get any girly than nail files can you???
So I took this challenge to the max and made a gorgeous
Nail File Holder for my Mother In Law
as yes, another one of her birthday pressies.
(Yep, I do love my MIL)

 The front.

 Close up of image.

 Open - front & back view.

 Open - middle view with files in.

 Open - middle view with files out.

Front view.

Keeping with my tradition I have again gone with the vintage, shabby distressed look.  And I again have fallen in love with this peice and don't want to part with it.  All things cute and girly went into this project, there is some adorable posh pins, lace, pearls, flowers, key charm and love charm!  I love these papers in this piece and will deffinately have to get some more!

I used Penny Pamper from The Crafty Pad Digital Images and she just goes perfectly with this set.  My MIL loves her nail files and I usually just pop them in an envelope and send them over to her and this really makes a recuring gift even more special now knowing she has somewhere nice to store them and to display them on her dutchess.  

This week our generous sponsor is ....

Creative Craft World

is offering £10 voucher to spend in shop.

With Christmas fast approahing this is the perfect them to make a start on those Christmas gifts, so why not come along and join us this week, and take up the challenge with us!
Can not wait to see all your creations!

Challenges this creation is entering with the help of the Feline Playful Girls:

*Allsorts - Anything but a card (Sat 1/1)
Catch The Bug - Shabby Chic (Sat 1/3)
Craft Your Days Away - Birthday Celebrations (Sat 1/3)
Fussy & Fancy - Use a lot (least 3 embellishements) Fri 1/-)
Gulou's Inimitabilty - Anything but a card (Fri 1/1)
Jellypark Challenges - Use your favorite embellishment - Flower(s), Ribbon, Posh pins, lace, pearls, too many favorites! (Fri 1/2)
Phindy's Place - Vinatge look (Fri 1/3)
Simply Create - Distress (Fri -)
Crafty Purple Frog - Anything but a card (Thurs 2/3)
Stampavie & more - Girly (Wed -)
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A new adventure with Crafty Anns

Good morning! Blogger Friends!

Sorry I am a tad late with this, Me Blogger is giving me some attitude and has deleted all my scheduled posts! And I have the sexy DH home for the weekend, so I am anywhere but near my craftroom and computer :P

Today I am very excited to share with you all some 

Exciting news! 

I am very happy and greatly honored to now be DT-ing with the gorgeous girls at

Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog!

Thank you girls so much, I have really had a great time with my 1st challenge!

And boy do we have a wonderful challenge for you for my debute! 

Scallops / And or Fancy Border(s)

This week I was a very lucky girl and I used the adorable Bird on Blossom Branch from Crafty Ann's Digi Shop or you can click HERE to go directly to all her gorgeous images!

This is my card that I had lots of fun playing with!

As per my usual lol I went with a vinatge / distressed theme, it just seemed to work so well with the image.  I forgot at the time that I could have got my fancy scissors out and used them so I was more thinking of the scallops theme as I made this.  I incorporated the scallops with the blue ric rac, the scallop heart die and the scallop matt border for the image - things you think of in hindsight, but I am more than happy and impressed with how my card turned out!

I used lots of embossing powder and heat setting to help give many of the elements a aged effect, for the 'Dream ticket' I used my embossing powders and achieved the shattered glass look, love love love all the aspects of this card!

For anyone not familar with playing along with Crafty Ann and the girls I shall give you a little run down on the rules, 

You are welcome to entry the challenge as many times as you like - please new projects only and no back linking. And please make sure your project meets the challenge theme.

You can combine your entry with as many other challenges.

A Crafty Ann Image is not mandatory though if you have one we would love to see!

And the challenge is open for one forntight so you have pleanty of time to play along!

The prize this week ????

One lucky winner drawn for Random Org will receive

From Crafty Ann's Digi Store - 

2 digi stamps, 1 pre-coloured sheet & 1 backing paper collection of their choice!

As Ann has a wonerful collection I am sure you have no trouble shopping! lol

I hope you all come along and take the challenge with us! 

I would love to see you there!

Challenges this creation is entering with the help of the Feline Playful Girls:

Art Impressions Stamps - Favourite Technique - Shattered glass look with heat embossing (1/1 Thurs)
CCEE Stampers - Glass - Shattered Glass look ( 1/1 Thurs)
Charisma Cardz Challenges - Distressing (1/3 C10 Thurs)
Delightful Challenges - Things With Wings (1/1 Thurs)
Do You Stack Up - Emboss it (1/3 Thurs)
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GDT with Fab 'N' Funky - Christmas

Wonderful Wednesday to you all!

I am back again this week playing along with the gorgeous girls from

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges!

and the challenge this week is one we all usually need a push to get started on....

#85 -Christmas

I used to be 'one of those' that left all my Christmas cards till the last minute but over the years I have really started to organize my self and  now start them around July.  I don't think one can ever have enough or too many Christmas cards can they???

Today I was a very lucky girl and got to play with a Fred She Said Digi Stamp.  This is one from my stash called Christmas Rose, that I just adore and I think it is gorgeous and so Christmas-y.  I have also opted for the pre-colored version today too.

Ok, So maybe it is just me but I do think this has turned out just simply beautiful! - I might be a little biased lol I wanted the diecut top frame to really help focus in on the image so I left this card fairly embellishment free and that's a nice change for me.  I only added the one flower (everything must have at least one flower) and well .... ribbon, I don't think I need an excuse to add ribbon now do I girls?? lol!

Fred She Said 

is also sponsoring this weeks challenge!

And they are giving one lucky winner a voucher to go shopping in their shop!
Lucky crafty so and so!
That voucher will be easy to spend as they have some MUST HAVE digi's!

So if you are the lucky winner and need some help with your shopping, please fee free to give me a poke and I will gladly help you spend it !!! :))

The Fab 'n' Funky girls have again outdone themselves with some beautiful holly jolly inspiration for you all this week, so please do drop by and share some love with them all and play along with us!

I hope you like what you see today and I look forward to you all playing along too this week!

Challenges this creation is entering with the help of the Feline Playful Girls:

Incy Wincy Designs - Something old & something new - Old DP and new flower (Mon -)

Ooh-La-La Creations - Oh Christmas (Mon -)

The Corrosive Challenge - Earth Tones (Sun 1/2)

Sentimental Sundays - Flowers & a sentiment (Sun -)

Fussy & Fancy - Christmas in  August (Fri -)

Stamp Something - Use a digi (Fri -)

Aud Sentiments - Merry Christmas -I have Christmas Blessings :$ (Thur -)

Crafty Sentiments - Christmas (Thurs 1/1)

Paper Play - Christmas in August (Thurs 1/2)

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I've Gone a Little bit FrUiTy @ TCP

Gooood Evening all! 

Today I am going FrUiTy! With the gorgeous girls over at

The Crafty Pad!

Yeppers! 

This week we have all gone a little berry sweet in the head,

and we would love for you to play along and join us in this weeks challenge

GoNe FrUiTy!

So lets see fruit on your creations this week!

I have used the Berry Sweet Strawberries image today,

available from The Crafty Pad Designs HERE 

And for a change of style, I have kept things really clean and simple. 

(Yes a big change for me from the normal shabby chic vintage! 

But it was nice to mix-up the routine in the craft room today!)

So ... On with the show!

 

This week for my strawberries I thought I would try heat embossing them with some thick clear embossing powder to give them a textured look, even if I say so myself, they look just smashing in RL! and I have paper toiled them up to make them 3D.  I added to touch of ribbon a dainty small bow and the ribbon like tag is stamped with a mixed sentiment from my Woodware USA - Sweet Tooth clear stamps that I found, and had forgotten I even had! Don't you love those moments! And the strawberry button holding the tag down in one left over from a previous project!

This week we have TWO generous sponsors .... 

The Crafty Pad Designs 

is offering 3 single digi images of the winners choice and 

Letraset  

is offering a 5 pack of Brights Promarkers!

 So that in itself is a great reason to play along this week!

So come along and join the fun and get 

FrUiTy WiTh Us aT tHe CrAfTy PaD!

Challenges this creation is entering with the help of the Feline Playful Girls:

*Fabulous Friday - Frosted Designs - Color an Image (Fri -)

Stamp Something - Use a digi (Fri  -)

365 Cards - Day 158 Sweet Treats - Use at least 2 - strawberry image(3) and strawberry button (-)

Truly Scrumptious - Buttons & Bows (Wed -)
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GDT @ Creative Craft World - Happy Birthday Challenge

Today I have been very fortunate to Guest Design along with the gorgeous girls from

Creative Craft World! 

Their challenge this week is .... 

Birthday's!

I must say a huge big thank you to Choccy and the girls for letting me play along with them this week as I had sooo much fun creating my project!

I got creative and made a handbag card, but have given it a double use as gift packing; to co-ordinate with a Birthday pressie butterfly necklace gift !  

 The bag closed (pressie is inside)

 View when you first open the bag - That middle square with the butterfly on top is the gift box.

 View when you move the gift box - you see the beautiful butterfly verse. 

 Close up of verse. 

 View of the back .

 Close up of the front of the bag. 

 Close up of butterfly on the gift box.

This week the lovely prize sponsor of 

Creative Craft World is .... 

The Crafty Pad Designs! *Woo Hoo*

I could not resist using my favorite digi stamps and have used Butterflies with verse & borders, A butterfly came fluttering by sentiment ticket, Happy Birthday Sentiment Ticket & With Love Sentiment Ticket.

I have given this piece a very vintage/distress feel with ink distressing to the cardstock base and each individual piece of the layering DP.  To give the butterfly a vintage feel I have printed it onto matching DP as the bag, ink distressed the edges and then heat embossed each butterfly layer with clear think embossing powder and then decoupaged it up to layer it and give a 3D effect.  On the bag for the butterfly antenna I made some fancy posh pins and bent them up a little and placed them underneath the butterfly.  I have used brown pearls for the butterfly trail and tiny light green gems on the fluttering ticket for the flower centers and under the sentiment. 

The ribbon is an old ivory piece from my stash of left over things and while I have added Velcro dots to close the bag; I also included the light green raffia tie as I think it looks really cute  (also it is easier to tie having the Velcro holding the bag shut).  

  I made this to add to the birthday pressie stash of things for my MIL, and to be honest; I do not want to part with it! lol as always my case!  And it was just by fluke that while out shopping with hubby last week that I came across this necklace and instantly in my head I was wondering if it would fit inside the bag!  I am taking it as a sign I was meant to make the bag and I was meant to buy the necklace (not that a girl needs any excuse to go shopping!)

Hope you like what you see, and I hope you join in the fun and please do pop by 

The Creative Craft World blog 

Check out the stunning work the 

DT have for your inspiration

and join in the crafty fun!

  If your wondering how I made this ... I followed the tutorial here on inkido that Kristine from Lost in Creativity was so kind to share from her inspiration from Piabau's blog.  (try saying that 7 times really fast lol)

I also have a tip for you this week ,
 something I learn't from my girls in class 
(yes I know I am meant to teach them lol)
 
If you have trouble removing your cardstock / DP from any dies, spellbinders ect,
the fancy detailed swirly and flourish ones like I do.
Place a piece of glad bake paper (grease proof paper)
between the die and your cardstock and cut it as per normal,
it will come out of the die clean and easy like a piece of cake!
No more biting your tongue as you fiddle to get it out trying not to tear it!

Challenges this creation is entering with the help of the Feline Playful Girls:
* Crazy Amigo Challenge - Anything Goes open till Aug 16th (-/-)
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes with opt Metal - Metal pins and eyelets (Tue -/-)
Party Time Tuesdays - Birthday & A Hop (Tue 1/3)
Top Tip Tuesday - Blue, Green & Brown (Tue 2/3)
Top Tip Tuesday - TIP at end of post under signature before challenges list. 
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes (Mon 1/3)
HLSC Challenge - Anything Goes ( Mon -/-)
Incy Wincy Designs - Monochromatic Colors (Mon -)
Kaboodle Doodles - In The garden (Mon  -/-)
Lexi's Creations - Shaped Card (Mon -/-)
Stamps R Us - Birthday Challenge (Mon -/-)
Woodware USA - Anything Goes (Mon 1/2 *)
Come & Get It Challenges - Anything Goes (Sun 1/2)
Crafty Ho's - Last Challenge - Anything Goes & Hop (Sun -/-)
Dream Valley Challenges - Surprise Element (Sun 1/3)
Lollipop Crafts - Celebrate & a Hop (Sun -/-)
Sentimental Sundays - In The Garden must inc sentiment (Sun -/-)
Sparkles Forum - One for the girls (Sun  -/-)
Stampin' Sisters in Christ - All creatures great and small (Sun  -)
Simply Create - Favorite Animal - Butterfly! (Mon -)
Clearly iStamp - Things with wings (Fri 1/1)
Just Add Ink - Tearing / Distressing - ink distress (Fri -)
Raise The Bar - Anything Goes (Fri -)
Fuzzy Wuzzy - Shaped card inc an animal (monthly -)
Yes there is lots of challenges! 
But I am a Feline Playful Girl AFTER ALL!
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GDT with Fab 'N' Funky - Friendship Challenge

Wonderful Wednesday to you all!

I am very happy & honored today to be playing along with the gorgeous girls over at 

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges!

and this week their challenge is one I am sure you love as much as I

#84 - Friendship!

I love to make cards for no particular reason and just pop them in the post to my family and friends for a surprise smile, and I think it really makes a nice change from always getting bills!  You have to agree, it's nice when you get something that is unexpected. 

Today I was a very lucky girl and got to play with a Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamp and I picked Angie Angel as I think she is just adorable! I can not wait to use her on a Christmas card too as I think she will just look adorable!  

Here is my card I made for this Fab 'n' Funky Challenge.

I have kept this card very simple but yet still cute as I wanted the image and the sentiment to really have the focus.  The browns and the greens are really inspiring me at the moment in all my crafty work and I think that is because we over the big pond here in Australia are about to change into Spring and the adorable colors of nature going through her season of change just can not be missed where ever I look.  We even found some baby bird feathers on the rainforest floor today of signs that Spring is just around the corner.

Robyn's Fetish  

is also sponsoring this weeks challenge!

And she is giving one lucky winner the choice of

5 digital stamps or 4 digital stamps and 1 digital paper

of the winners choice. 

She has some very beautiful stamps so please do pop over and have a browse!

The Fab 'n' Funky girls have also done an outstanding job with some inspiration for you all,

so please stop by have a look and share some love with the girls.

They are a great friendly bunch and a lot of fun to work with!

And I am sure they would love it as much as me if you came and played along with us this week!

So I hope to see you there! 

Challenges this creation is entering with the help of the Feline Playful Girls:

 Crazy Amigo Challenge - Anything Goes open till Aug 16th (-/-)

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes with opt Metal (Tue -/-)

Top Tip Tuesday - Blue, Green & Brown (Tue 1/3)

HLSC Challenge - Anything Goes ( Mon -/-)

Crafty Ho's - Last Challenge - Anything Goes & Hop (Sun -/-)

Sentimental Sundays - In The Garden must inc sentiment (Sun -/-)

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MyGrafico - Monday Feature - Little Expressions by Cheri Wenger

Gooood Mmorning Mmonday!

Today I not only have a card to share with you ... 

But some exciting news too!

I have been very fortunate to now be on the Design Team for ... 

MyGrafico Challenges!

A big thank you to MyGrafico for taking me on 

and I am sure I am going to have a blast playing along with the girls each week!

This week we were given the  Lil' Expressions set by Cheri Wenger to play with 

- you can find it HERE or at the MyGrafico store HERE.

As you can see, there is a LOT of options in this set!

And this is where I took some of these adorable images!

I went for a very CAS style this week (so NOT me) but it is something I have been wanting to try more of and took the opportunity while I saw a light at the end of the tunnel!  I printed the U & M = love cherries directly onto the cardstock and I double printed the cherries to pop them up with some foam tape.  The flowers on the crimped fence posts (brown cardstock I crimped and then cut into stripes) are also from the sheet and I just re-sized them and layered them as well.  I added some eyelets to the fence and wrapped some wire underneath to tie the fence together.  The LOVE stamp is a rubber one from my stash.  

 

You can also play along in the Mygrafico monthly anything goes challenge - 

You can enter as many times as you like 

and if Mr Linky is not up and running yet - 

well that is OK!

as you can BACKLINK any and all projects from the start of the month! 

I shall see you again next Monday with a new Mygrafico Feature!

Till then I hope you come along and join in the challenge!

Challenges this creation is entering with the help of the Feline Playful Girls:

MyGrafico - Anything Goes - Monthly Challenge (unlimited entries)

Mami Doodles - Flowers ( - Fri)
Sew Many Cards - Anything goes (- Fri)
AiFactory - Include a handmade item - the fence (1/1 Thurs)
Rainbow Lady's - Handmade flowers (1/2 Thur)

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