Crafty Calendar Challenge DT card

It's time for another Crafty Calendar Challenge and this time the theme is "Keeping warm" with the added option of "texture".
I don't know what the weather is like where you are but here,in Northern Ireland,we have just had some fresh snow after most of it cleared away yesterday so we really do need to keep warm!

I've used one of my own drawings again for this challenge (Jenny on the sofa) and the paper is DCWV Retro prints which I've folded to make a roman blind complete with a little tassel(bead).
I've coloured with Promarkers(no surprise there!) and added some flocking to her jumper for "warmth".
I've used a little faux fur as a rug so I think she definitely is keeping warm!.
Hopefully you will be able to see that I've tried to make this look like a scene through a window...

Relax.........

I've never entered the Sketch and Stash challenge before but when I saw the great sketch i knew just what I was going to do with it.I had already noticed the theme on Corrosive Challenges was New Year Resolutions and I've been told I need to relax more and not work so hard so I'm using "Bunny Bathtime" from my own range a Passion for Stamps along with some of my new Christmas goodies.

Basic Grey and Mojo Monday

It's a bit difficult to get into the way of making cards again after Christmas even though I got some lovely new things to use. I got several craft magazines which I don't usually buy so I've taken a while to browse and hopefully I'll have some new ideas.
This card is made using the colours from Basic Grey (Pink,blue and cream) and the sketch from Mojo Monday
I've used one of my own range of stamps A Passion for Stamps. This one is Orchid
Happy New Year to one and all!! Ruth

Colour Create Challenge

I really can't believe I'm actually posting a card on my blog on Christmas Eve!I thought I'd finished them all and then my brother arrived looking for a card for his wife so I made this one in the colours of the Colour Create challenge ..BURGUNDY,PINK and IVORY.
I've used my own drawing of two labrador puppies and some gorgeous embossed paper from the Kars Christmas collection.
I want to take this opportunity to wish all my followers a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Sponsoring Allsorts Challenge

Good morning! I know some of you will have seen this card before but as I am sponsoring the Allsorts challenge blog this week I thought I'd show you my favourite card using the two stamps which I'm offering as the prize this week.

Double challenge card

I have made 2 cards this week using the MojoMonday sketch. The first is a Christmas card using a really cute image sent to me by my lovely friend Tara and the other is a little change from my usual type of card because it has no stamped image at all.
The top card also fits the Pink Elephant challenge as the theme there is "Winter and/or Christmas
I'll add the details later as I'm in the usual rush at the moment,but thanks for looking and have a great weekend,Ruth

Multi Challenge card

Sometimes I have lovely paper and don't really want to use it! I actually bought this Kars Xmas collection just for this pattern and I've looked at it for weeks now but at last I've decided to use it! The embossing detail is gorgeous but probably doesn't show up too well in the pic..
The image is Bently Bear by Adam Pescott and I've only added a few little pearls etc along with some white organza ribbon so as not to detract from the paper.
I have used the beautiful sketch from Friday Sketchers
,the colours from Stampin for the Weekend (blue and brown),
the theme from The Pink Elephant (winter and / or Christmas)
and the theme of snow(flakes) from Crazy4challenges.
That's all for now..we are celebrating a BIG birthday in our house today ....

Guest DT card...Allsorts and a couple of others

This is my Guest DT card for the Allsorts challenge where the theme this week is "pearls and swirls" . I am having a break from the mountain of Christmas cards with this one.
I used my "Andrea" stamp which you can find in the sidebar. All the stamps have been reduced in a pre Christmas sale so please check them out..
The papers are Basic Grey( Red Riding Hood ) and Making memories (Pearl swirl I Do)



The next card in the post doesn't fit with any challenges that I'm aware of but I wanted to include it here as it shows my kitten stamp used on a Christmas card.
This kitten is very adaptable and can be decoupaged to sit beside almost anything...


I'm getting myself ready to release some more of my designs as digi stamps in the New Year so if you keep an eye on this blog or become a follower of A Passion for Stamps you will be able to see them once they are ready.

I made another card which doesn't fit any challenges that I know of but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out (for a change) so I thought I'd include it in this post,too.

I drew the sheepdog and coloured him with Promarkers and "popped" him up on foam pads so he could look out the window I created with Nesties labels 2. When all that was lined up the rest is pretty straightforward but time consuming!

Another Christmas "box"

As usual I've left off making most of my Christmas cards until the last moment.I plan to make them early every year only to realise that time has run out again!
I've used several of the current challenges to motivate me , so here's another..
Truly Scrumptious..the sketch
Creative Card Crew..gold or silver
Practical Scrappers..anything Christmas
Papertake Weekly..red and green must not be seen
I've used my own drawing again,along with some gorgeous DCWV Rose tinted Christmas paper,Woodware Snowflake punch,Nestabilities(labels 2) amd pearls by Crystal Stickers.

DT Call ..Stampin' for the Weekend... and Sketch Saturday

I decided to enter a card for the DT call over at Stampin' for the Weekend where the requirements are to make a card using a stamped or digital image using your own style.
I've used one of my own drawings which has not been made into a stamp but I am hoping to do some digital releases in the New Year and this will hopefully be one of them.
I love drawing dogs and puppies and thought the Golden Retriever puppies suited a red and cream theme.
The DP is from Basic Grey and I've rounded the corners of the plain red background paper with a Martha Stewart Doily border punch.
The leaves were made using an EK Success punch and the other bits and bobs were from my stash.
As usual I have coloured with Promarkers.I've tried various methods of colouring but this has to be my favourite.
I have made the card using the gorgeous sketch from Sketch Saturday.

Another multi challenge card

With so many challenges being centred around Christmas themes it's not too difficult to combine some challenges at the moment!
For this one I have used the lovely sketch provided by Tara G for Basic Grey using beautiful papers sent to me by my lovely friend Martine.
The image is one of my new drawings and I've used my new Nesties again.When I started out to make this card I never imagined making it using these colours and I don't really know how that happened or whether I really like the background colour with the gorgeous patterned paper...?
So,the challenges are
Basic Grey...the sketch
Stamping for the Weekend..red,green and gold
Creative Card Crew..Christmas
the Pink Elephant...your favourite colouring medium.No prizes for guessing that's Promarkers!!
Papercutz..digital or hand stamped image( I hope this one counts!)
Corrosive challenges...Christmas red and green
Crazy 4 Challenges..punches. I've used my new border punch( a craft fair bargain at £3.oo) ,a Whale oval punch and the Xcut snowflake punch.
Stamp ,Scrap and Doodle..Christmas
Cuttlebug Challenges..glitter,bling and Cuttlebug
Dareu2digistamp..red,green and your choice of neutral. Although I drew this image I've stored it as a digi image as I hope to start selling digis after Christmas..
Practical Scrappers..Christmas
Cupcake Craft Challenges..red and green

Winter Sparkle..Crafty Calendar Challenge DT card

I thought "Winter Sparkle" was a lovely theme for this month's challenge at Crafty Calendar Challenges. Thanks to all who joined us last month, there were some amazing cards!
This month's challenge is being sponsored by Carol so why not join in again and see if you win?
My card is made with an image which I drew last Christmas and wanted to use again.As usual I've coloured it with Promarkers and added lots of glitter.I love the little fence punch from Xcut impress which I use in the Cuttlebug. I've put some snow along the top of it.
The trees are Anita's outline stickers which I don't often use but I got them as a prize and tried them on this as a border.
I've had a little peek at all the other lovely DT cards and their blogs are well worth a visit!!
Well,I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with this time..
I am also entering this card for the Stamp with Fun challenge as the theme is "Christmas" , Sophisticat Challenges (snowflakes and sparkle)and Creatilicious Challenges (snowflakes and lots ot sparkle and glitter)

One card.... 6 challenges!!

I can hardly believe it myself,but I have actually managed to make one card that fits into the categories of 6 different challenges! I might need to give my brain a rest for a day or two now!
Before I list the challenge blogs I have to say that I drew the image myself so anyone who knows me and my family will know right away where I got the inspiration for the drawing from....yes,my son,Andrew who is,as I type, beside me on the exercise doing his nightly 25 miles!! I only wish I had the energy to join him!! He has been keeping an eye on his muscles for years now!! This is what he was like a few years ago.
I used MME papers..Blossom and Bloom
Okay, the challenges are
Sketch Saturday
Cute Card Thursday..for a young boy
Creative Card Crew..favourite things( got to be my new border punch!)
Allsorts ..buttons
Colour Create . Green,red and white
The Pink Elephant.. something plaid,any no.of brads and no ribbon.
So there you have it!

Sketch Saturday

Okay, so I really should be sleeping and not on here but I've been so busy lately and was out tonight until late and won't get a chance to post this in the morning so here I am while everyone else in the house is snoring zzz
I got new nesties yesterday as an early Christmas present and just couldn't resist using them..you know how it is? So they have made an appearance on this card for the Sketch Saturday challenge.
I went for "pretty" this week using the same roses I drew a couple of weeks ago but coloured in pink and cream. These roses remind me of my late father who grew beautiful "Peace" roses in our garden.
The Cuttlebug folder is "Victoria" and looks so pretty with the new border punch which I got for £3 at a craft fair last week!
The little flowers were sent to me by my dear friend Tara. The little cut out leaf stamp was another little bargain from the fair.
I resized my rose image and added the smaller version to the flat part of the easel card.
Hope you like it! I'm off to bed now as the light seems to be annoying someone and I'm being called!!

Four Challenge Card

It seems like ages since I made and posted a card on my blog.The last two cards were DT cards and were actually made quite a while ago.I have been suffering with a wisdom tooth and haven't really been able to think straight never mind make cards!
To cut a long story short,my new dentist thought he could remove a bottom wisdom tooth but after 7 injections and lots of digging around the tooth broke and the root was left inside.I was sent home like that and had to wait in agony for 9 days to have sedation before having the gum slit and the rest removed. So the past few weeks have been spent in a haze of pain and painkillers.Now that it's been removed and the gum stitched up I feel so much better,at last!!
Sorry to everyone whom I "tried " to smile at yesterday at the King's Hall.Now you know why it looked half hearted! It was great to meet up with Martine and Mina again even though I couldn't talk much!!

Well onto the card...It's a 4 challenge card this time,for Basic Grey (glitz and bling), Sketch Saturday and Allsorts (for a child) and Cute Card Thursday ( Glitter me silly)

The gorgeous image was sent to me by my lovely friend, Tara and the Basic Grey tartan paper was sent to me by another lovely friend Martine.
The snowflakes were made by one of the new punches I bought at the King's Hall Craft Fair yesterday and the snow at the top was made using a pair of decorative scissors and glitter.
I hope I'll be making more cards soon and also looking at all your creations too!

Crafty Calendar Challenges DT card..November

It's time for the 2nd Crafty Calendar Challenge already.Thanks so much to all who took part in last month's challenge,we hope you will become regulars.
This month's theme is "weather" with the added option of using pearls and is sponsored by Nikki at Bunny Zoes Crafts.
The DT members have come up with a wonderful array of "pearly" cards so nip over and check them out.
For my card this month I've tried something different for me...no designer paper!
The main focus of the card is the little robin which I drew myself and coloured with my trusty Promarkers.
I've just discovered ArtDeco Snow Writer and can't get enough of it! I've also added glossy accents over red glitter on the berries and in real life it's great.
The card itself is made from Petit Scallop circles Nestabilities with a little bow of Celebrations red gingham ribbon at the top.

I'm looking forward to all your lovely entries this month again! Ruth

Basic Grey Guest DT card

Well,they do say that all good things have to come to an end some time.I really enjoyed my month as Guest designer for the Basic Grey Challenges.Thanks very much to Martine for the opportunity and also to all the other DT members for welcoming me on board.I must say that not only is Martine a very talented card maker but a very helpful and willing friend.Thanks very much,Martine, for everything...it's much appreciated.I'll be back to join in the challenges anyhow.
I made the card a couple of weeks ago when I had some free time to spend just looking and thinking about it and I really enjoyed making this one.It's not often that I'm entirely happy with the end result but I don't keep looking at this one thinking I should change anything.
This easel shape is so easy to make and looks great that I'm sure I'll make more,too.
The challenge was based on a beautiful inspirational photo chosen by my lovely friend Tara so I really DID have to try hard!!
Okay....onto the card!

I used the "Jenny in Bed" stamp from my own collection A Passion for Stamps. For those of you who are on your first visit,it's one of my own drawings in stamp form which you can buy by emailing me at hamiltonarch@btinternet.com

The papers are Basic Grey/Perhaps,Red Riding Hood and Sultry,Classy which I've used with white Romance from the Paper Co.
The punches used are Dovecraft heart border,Woodware buttonhole,Xcut flower and alphabet feom Banana Book shop.
The beautiful flocked star was in some candy from Kelly .

Gosh, that was a long post but I'm off now to do some blog hopping before clearing up the week's ironing.....

For a gardener

I'm having a really hectic time at the moment,working late,rushing out again and generally running round like a headless chicken...but I just couldn't resist the great sketch provided by the lovely Claudia for Friday Sketchers
My card is made with papers from My Minds Eye and I drew the garden images a while ago for another card and saved them.
The Xcut impress fence punch which I used left a great little cut out which I made into a garden rake by adding a cocktail stick as a handle. This was a good chance,too to use my Carl Craft grass punch on the corners of the image.I added a little raffia for texture and a couple of Woodware punch leaves.
There is a drop of Inkssentials glossy accents on the watering can to look like water,too.

Colour Create

This must have been one of the quickest cards I've made for a long time!It's for this week's Colour Create challenge where the card has to be all white except for the image which can be coloured.
To compensate for the lack of colour I decided to make the front a little different and made a box card,cutting the "window" out with a Nesties scallop shape.
I drew the roses and coloured them as brightly as possible!
The rest is pretty straightforward - Woodware flower and leaf punches with some ribbon and pearls.
I love the shape of the card and I'm sure I'll be making more of these.....

Christine's card

This is Christine's 2nd DT card and I'm sure you'll agree it's a beauty! The red flower contrasts beautifully with the black and white background.I really love those Nesties..
This stamp has proved to be my most popular and can be used in so many different ways.Do have a look in the sidebar for details,Ruth

Double Challenge card

Back again!
Last night my 15 year old son took one of my cards made with this stamp to a girl's birthday party and both sons have had texts from her today saying how much she loved it so I thought I'd give it another whirl today!!
There's a great sketch to follow over at Stamp with Fun ( I made a card for their DT post ,too but I see lots of beautiful entries)and I've added the BLING required for Stamp Something
I've used "Bunny Bathtime" from my own stamp range.. A Passion for Stamps
The beautiful striped paper is DCWV/Rose Tinted Christmas and the pink paper has been run through the Cuttlebug with a D'vine Swirls folder.
The ribbon is Colour Collection,gems from Jewellery seal,flowers Xcut and woodware punches and the photo corner is DCWV Alphabet.
I've added extra bling by using glitter on the bubbles.

Basic Grey Guest design team challenge card

I've had a strange kind of week at work..I've met some really lovely people and some not so lovely and I'm really glad it's the weekend. Not to mention the fact that I took time off to visit the dentist only to find that she was off work and no one told me.It's the third time it's happened and on the only occasion that I was late for an appointment I had to pay a fine before I could make another appointment.No justice,is there?
Well ,here I am back with my second card for the Basic Grey challenge as a guest designer. This time we had a colour combo to work with...red,green and blue.
I've used mainly red and green with the edges of the image shaded in blue and there's also a little blue in the DP.
The paper is,of course,Basic Grey and is from the Boxer range.I've teamed it with plain green which I got from the PaperMill
The image is "Morning Glory" and is from my own stamp range A Passion for Stamps which you can see in the sidebar.
I think the gorgeous gingham ribbon adds a cottagey feel to the card.

Stamp Something Challenge

I noticed this morning that the theme for Stamp Something was "brown and something" and thought I would make a card to suit as the prize is....Copics! Now,I've never used Copics but am more than willing to have a go!
I drew these little puppies earlier on in the week and decided to use red along with the brown to compliment their fur colour.I hope it works?
What I've used..
Papers........... from Docraft swap
Stamp............ my own drawing
Border punch..... Dovecraft hearts
Flowers.......... Xcut and Woodware punches

Sketch Saturday

Saturday again!! I do enjoy looking for the new sketch each week over at Sketch Saturday and I decided to use this week's for a Christmas card.
I drew the little robin and coloured him with Promarkers,I've also added a little glitter to the berries but it's not showing up on the pic.
The papers were sent to me last year by Tara so I'm not sure what they are(beautiful aren't they?)
The big flower is from an Anita's sticker sheet and really shines!

I just thought I'd share a pic which I took today of my passionflowers which are still blooming at the bottom of the garden.

New DT Member!!!

Good evening! I'm really delighted to tell you that Christine has agreed to be on my Design team.I've been a follower of her blog for a while and couldn't help but notice that her cards just get better and better! She has her own unique style but a great range of techniques so I decided to ask her aboard A Passion for Stamps.
Her 1st DT card is fantastic,using my "kitten at wall" stamp and monochrome colours.I'm really impressed by the colouring!
I'm sure this is the 1st of many great cards!!

Tara's Card

Tara has created another gem of a card this week,this time using two stamps from A Passion for Stamps ...."Jonny" and "Andrea".
I love the way she has used the top of the two stamps and the beautiful ticket sentiment.
Seeing this card just makes me so happy to have Tara on my Design Team.

I have another new DT member to introduce to you soon,so keep an eye on the blog for more fantastic cards!!

Guest DT card for Basic Grey!!!

I'm really chuffed to be joining the wonderful DT of Basic Grey Challenges as a guest designer for the month of October! That means that I'll be making 3 cards for them!!
The first follows the super sketch by Martine and I used it to make a Wedding Anniversary card for my brother to give to his wife.
I've used gorgeous pink and lime Basic Grey (!) paper teamed up with pink DP from Papermania's Blueberry Hill.
The image is "Orchid" from my own range A Passion for Stamps (found in the sidebar) and is coloured with Promarkers.I know I always use Promarkers but I really love them and the different shades you can get by shading.
I got a new Cuttlebug embossing folder and as it has hearts on it, I just had to use it for this one.
I've also used my Dovecraft heart border punch along the bottom of the computer generated sentiment and added some flat backed pearls.
The two little X's at the top are actually made with a miniature alphabet punch set which I bought ages ago in Banana Bookshop.
Well,that's one down and two to go!!
I feel like starting the next card now!!
See you soon,Ruth

Mojo Monday

Have you ever made a card in a rush and didn't even know how it would look in the end? Well, this one was a tall order at the last minute!
The card was for a 90 year old man who has spent most of his life in Africa..so,here it is. The photo was taken as the card was about to be written and taken away so please don't even think about zooming in as it's even more blurry then!
Anyhow,it was great to have a sketch to work to. I followed Mojo Monday's layout and used some Basic Grey papers very kindly sent to me by Martine. I was asked (or rather,told) to draw a lion on the card and this was my best attempt at it in the time given(my excuse anyhow!) so the papers were just fantastic with it. I kept it quite simple as I usualy do with a man's card and just hope it makes someone smile when they see it.

First DT card for Crafty Calendar Challenges!!

Well, this is my first DT card for Crafty Calendar Challenges and I'm very happy to be a part of the action!
This new challenge starts today and runs on the 1st Friday of each month with a new challenge based on the month's theme. This month's theme is "Autumn" with the optional extra of adding vegetation or plants.
As it is my Mum's birthday I thought I'd make the DT card for this event!
I hand cut the letter templates on papers from My Mind's Eye..(they are just fantastic for Autumn) and popped them up on foam pads.

The stamp is from my own range A Passion for Stamps and is called "Kitten at wall" but actually he can be "kitten at 'anything you like!'

The colouring is done with Promarkers and I've used various Woodware punches for Flowers,leaves butterflies etc. The fronds were sent to me by Tara and I didn't really want to part with them but the card IS for my mum!
I'm also entering this card for the Allsorts and Crafty Creations challenges as it fits in with their "Autumn Days" and "Autumn leaves" themes this week,too.
Please do join us at Crafty Calendar Challenges as we'd love to see your creations!

Friday Sketchers

I haven't done this challenge for a week or two but when I get the time I do enjoy having a go at it..so here is this week's entry for Friday Sketchers..
I've used Cored'inations paper and a Cuttlebug folder with a light sanding together with DCWV Retro prints paper.
The image is " Bunny Bathtime" from A Passion for Stamps which you can find in my sidebar.
I have used this stamp lots of times for baby cards but I thought it could also be used for birthday cards/Get Well cards etc.

Guest Designer for Basic Grey!!!

I'm really delighted to have been invited by Martine to be Guest Designer for Basic Grey Challenges for the month of October!!! I'm really chuffed and can't wait to get started on my cards! Why don't you have a look at the challenge and join in with us.You only need to use one item from the Basic Grey range...so what's keeping you? See you there!

Mojo Monday

Judging by the amount of entries to the Mojo Monday challenge everyone else loves these sketches,too! I'm pretty new to this but I'm really enjoying it already.
I know I've used these colours on another card lately but I do love the combo and had to give it another go.
The paper is Boutique by Jesse Edwards.
The main image is "Morning Glory" from my range - A Passion for Stamps which you can find in the sidebar and I've coloured it with Promarkers.I've added a little flocking powder to the centre of the flower and decoupaged the buds.
The butterfly stamp is "monarch" by Stampendous.
The rich dark brown scallop at the base was sent to me by Tara and is self adhesive.I love the detail on it!

I hope to be back later with some more great news!

Inspirational Card Sketches

I've just found the Inspirational Card Sketches challenge last week and when I saw the great sketch I knew I could make a birthday card for my Mother using it.
This time I've used beautiful button paper which I bought in Craftworld in Belfast a long time ago and used my Martha Stewart doily border punch along the edges (again!)
The image is "Morning Glory" from my A Passion for Stamps range which you can find in the sidebar and I've decoupaged one petal and added a little glitter.
I've also used my fav Woodware punches (leaf and butterfly) and an Xcut flower punch.
The sentiment is computer generated and the ribbon and buttons are from my stash

Tara's Cards!!

These gorgeous cards certainly brought a big smile to my face when I saw them!!
I never cease to be amazed at what Tara comes up with!! Aren't they just fantastic?
She has used my "Bunny in the bath" stamp from A Passion for Stamps to create two wonderful baby cards using babygro shaped templates and they do look great!

Papertake /Secret Crafter

Good morning.
I've actually never entered either of these challenges before but over the weekend I've seen some beautiful cards for both on my blog hopping expedition.
Papertake Weekly Challenge want a card based on the theme "faking it" and Secret Crafter want "one for the girls".
I've made a really girly card with "Jenny in bed" from my Passion for Stamps collection which you can find in the sidebar.Because the clours of Promarkers I've used are so bold I wanted to leave some white showing on the card.
The "fakes" are the Martha Stewart doily border punch(fake lace) and the pearl buttons on Jenny's PJ's.
The little butterfly has been covered with flocking powder.

3 in 1 challenge card

I got some gorgeous Basic Grey papers today from Martine and couldn't wait to use them for the Basic Grey challenge.The requirements are the use of Basic Grey paper and embossing so I've used my Swiss Dots folder in the Cuttlebug for the oval background as it always reminds me of snow and suits a Christmas card.I have used the sketch from Sketch Saturday.
It fits in with the Allsorts challenge where they want "snowflakes in September".
I have used "Andrea" and "Jonny" from my own stamp range A Passion for Stamps which you can see in the sidebar and coloured them with Promarkers.This time I've added leggings and a couple of bracelets along with a scarf to the Andrea stamp for a change..

Jenny in Bed

This card was made to combine two challenges....Sketch Saturday and a Passion for Promarkers where the challenge this week is to use any colours plus polka dots.
I tried to make this on as bright and cheerful as possible for a Get Well card so I chose papers from Kate Knight's Wild Blossom collection by Dovecraft.
The stamp is "Jenny in Bed" from my own collection A Passion for Stamps, coloured with Promarkers.
I've used an Xcut flower punch and added a touch of glitter to the petals.
The heart border punch is from Dovecrafts and I layered it over green paper to show it off!

Design Team Member!!!!

Good morning!
I'm really delighted to tell you that I've been chosen as a Design Team member for the great new challenge blog Crafty Calendar Challenge which goes live on Oct2nd!! It's a monthly challenge based on a relevant theme so you'll have plenty of time to think about your creation..please be sure to join us!
I've been looking through the rest of the DT's work and I'm really going to have to keep on my toes!!