Toasting with Tiddly Inks

I've just finished this card, so I thought I'd get it posted now. The image is by Tiddly Inks, and these are the challenges I made it for:
Tiddly Inks - New Year's Eve card event
Sweet Sketch Wednesday - followed sketch #82
Creative Inspirations - black silver and gold
Sweet Stampin' - celebrate
Catch the Bug with Bugaboo - New Year
Pixie Dust Studio - Happy New Year using silver and/or gold
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday - pearls (in the centre of each flower)

Sparkling with StampInsanity!

The StampInsanity challenges are back, and this week we'd like to see you create something sparkly. I've used Lilith from the Devil Dolls collection, I just love this little sweetie :D And since you can't really tell how much sparkle there is in the main pic, here's a close-up of some of the sparkly bits, because trust me, there's glitter all over the place on this one ( the dots, the ribbon, the flowers, the doodle, the frame, the corners) You still can't really see it on the polka dots, but I promise every dot is glittered :P

Here are the other challenges I followed when creating:
Sketchy Colour - followed the sketch and used blue, white and silver
Irish Teddy - blue white, not Christmas
One Stitch At A Time - anything goes
Corrosive Challenges - bling
Top Tip Tuesday - embellishing
Aly's Sunday Challenge - anything goes
Digital Tuesday - anything goes
Crafts and Me - anything goes
Hodge Podge Shop - blue and silver
Rainbow Lady - re-do a past challenge. I chose a couple of the Raibow Lady challenges for the past year, although I messed up one of them, so only two were followed in the end. Firstly, I went for Sparkle/Shine, and secondly, Edge It (scallops around the main part and glitter around the image mat)
The Character Cafe - sparkle
Crafty Catz - pick a CC challenge from the last year. I chose to go with a few of them, so here they are #21 fancy edge and a ribbon, #25 white and one other colour, #30 spots, #37 shaped cards, and #38 go digital.

Laugh if you dare!

Hmmm, after going through my cards for the Top 10 post below, I realised there are woefully few of them that I still like. So, I decided to get myself into gear and start making lots more, so that next year I'll have a bigger selection to choose from, and hopefully won't be stuck :P
This one uses the fantabulous Sugarplum from The Octopode Factory and sentiment and Regal Rampage papers from Crafty Chaos Designs
Here are the challenges I'll be entering:
Sweet Stop Sketches - followed sketch 88, although I flipped it on its side.
One Stitch At A Time - anything goes
Aly's Sunday Challenge - anything goes
Digital Tuesday - anything goes
Crafts and Me - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
For Fun Challenges - anything goes
Moving Along with the Times - anything goes but no Christmas cards
Aud sentiment Challenge - anything goes
Crafty sentiments - anything goes
Crafty Ann's Challenge - anything goes
Crafty Emma's Store - anything goes
Allsorts - anything goes

Thanks for looking :D

My Top 10 Cards of 2010

Mr Random has done his job and he picked number 14 from the comments, which means Rhonda Miller is the winner! Congrats Rhonda, I've sent you a message :D

I'd seen a few posts around blogland with this title, but didn't have time to investigate until this morning. Suzi over at The Manic World of Mrs Weyremaster has set up a blog hop, and all you have to do to join in is look through the cards you've made in the last year, then make a post about them and link it to HERE. You can see all the details, plus get links to the other participants there as well. I love seeing what each of you has chosen as your favourite cards, and I have no idea how some of you managed to narrow it down to just 10 when you have so many wonderful creations to choose from. :)
Here are mine, in no particular order:


Main image by Simply Betty Stamps, tree by me, papers by Crafty Chaos Designs


Image is by Tellen's Place, papers by Crafty Chaos Designs


Main image is by Tiddly Inks, mirror and bg by me, papers by Crafty Chaos Designs


Image and sentiment by StampInsanity, papers by Crafty Chaos Designs


Image is by Kenny K, papers by Crafty Chaos Designs


Image is by Stamp It Crazy, papers by Crafty Chaos Designs


Image is by Tellen's Place, ad hoc papers by me


Image is by DezinaWorld, papers by Crafty Chaos Designs


Image is by Kenny K, papers by Crafty Chaos Designs


Image is by DezinaWorld

Thanks for looking. I'll pick a random number from everyone who comments to win a free paper set or stamp from my shop, Crafty Chaos Designs, and there are other prizes dotted throughout the hop, so gather up your favourite cards and join in the fun :D

Merry Christmas to all my blogging buddies!

I'm finally feeling all festive and jolly, woohoo! I've made lots of fudge fridge magnets and notebooks and finshed my slippers and wrapped up gifts, all to be delivered today with a true smile on my face and a genuine desire to spread some good cheer, so I'd also like to take a moment to say Happy Holidays and THANK YOU to everyone who visits my little blog and leaves such lovely comments, I've made this card for you all :D This sweet little digi is Jusy from the Sweet Gothic World Kids collection at Simply Betty Stamps, and she seemed to personify the excitement I'm feeling. Papers are by Crafty Chaos Designs
This is also an entry into the following cjallenges:
Simply Betty 12 Days of Christmas Challenges - Day 12, use an SBS image to create a Christmas Eve card
The Pixie Cottage - sketch and celebration
Sparkles Forum Challenges - Christmas
Sentimental Sunday - inspired by song
Paper Playtime - anything Christmas
Critter Challenge - Christmas
Craft Your Passion - Christmas
Cards and More - Santa is coming
Crazy Amigos - Xmas
My Time to Craft - Santa baby
A Spoon Full of Sugar - Christmas card
Fresh Brewed Designs - Merry Christmas
Etsy Inspired Challenges - The inspiration this week is the wonderful Ling Glass shop, and I've used inspiration from several of the glass pendants available. Firstly, I used the colours from this one, this one, and this one. Then I tried to make the squares down the side look like little pendants similar to this one and this one. I also chose two backing papers that had pendant-like designs, and I made my ribbon across the middle curvy instead of straight to represent the swirls and curves and spirals in many of the designs.
Creative Inspirations - Christmas
2 Sisters Challenge - Christmas
Frosted Designs - inspired by a Christmas song
Thanks for looking, I wish each and every one of you a wonderfully happy holiday season :D

Slightly more traditional

I realised that I really do need some cards that don't scream "Bah Humbug!", so here's another one I did today. The image is again a Stamp It Crazy digi, and papers are by me. Here are the challenges for this one:
Stamp It Crazy - Christmas using an SIC digi
Truly Scrumptious - sketch plus optional frame
For Fun Challenges - Christmas
Crafty Purple Frog - Christmas
Fresh Brewed Designs - Christmas
Off The Wall - be inspired by the colours in this photo:

Yeah, like, Merry Whateva! :P

Here's one I did today using a fabby digi from Stamp It Crazy and papers I created myself to match, after I'd coloured the image. Here are the challenges I'm entering:
Stamp It Crazy - Christmas using an SIC digi
Friday Sketchers - sketch 133
Crafty Hos - Christmas in red and green
Shannon's Sentiments - Christmas using red green and white
Wee Memories - colours of the season

To friends old and new

I did another steampunk Christmas piece today, using the Mercius digi from Simply Betty Stamps and Technologie Fantastique papers from Crafty Chaos Designs
Here are the challenges I created it for:
Craft Your Passion - follow the sketch
One Stitch At A Time - anything goes
Order of the Opus Gluei - anything goes
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Rainbow Lady Challenges - make it a vintage delight
Freshly Brewed Designs - Merry Christmas
Crafts and Me - moody blues
For Fun Challenges - Christmas
Cards for Men - Christmas card for a male
Creative Card Crew - anything goes
Stamps R Us - anything goes
Karber weekly Challenges - anything goes using a digi
Pear Tree Designs - Christmas
Cupcake Craft Challenges - non-traditional Christmas
Simply Betty 12 Days of Christmas - Day 11, Skully Jolly Christmas use skulls. I went subtle for a change on this one, and decided I wanted to make a card with lots of sulls, but that weren't immediately obvious. So, they're on his chair, all around the image and on the steampunk clock embellishments down the side.
Alphabet Challenge - H is for Hats
Stampin' for the Weekend - Christmas

We three queens

I am having fun writing my own little parodies of verses and songs, the one for this particular card goes:

We three queens of darkness and night
Bearing spells, we make quite a sight
Sultry and sexy, headstrong and hex-y
Singing on Christmas night

All three images are from the Spooky Hallow range at Simply Betty Stamps, and here are the challenges I made it for:
Simply Betty 12 Days of Christmas - Day 10, Christmas Carolers... or if you would please... SCARE-olers
Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime - sketch 152
Diva Coffee Break Designs - river rock, elegant eggplant and melon mambo
Critter Sketch Challenge - no patterned paper
ABC Challenge - J is for Jewels or gems

Festive and joyful? Not me :P

Here's my second post for today, using the Spiderella digi from Simply Betty Stamps and papers from the Regal Rampage set at Crafty Chaos Designs. I recoloured some Halloween ghosts and gave them santa hats that were a freebie from The Octopode Factory. The smaller text reads:

"Festive and Joyful"
is just not my style
So I made a spooky Xmas card,
'cos that's what makes me smile!

Here are the challenges:
Our Creative Corner - sketch
Simply Betty 12 Days of Christmas - Day 9, ghosts
One Stitch At A Time - anything goes
Incy Wincy Designs - non-traditional Christmas
Cupcake Craft Challenges - non-traditional Christmas
Karber Weekly Challenge - anything goes with a digi
Stamps R Us - anything goes
Moving Along with the Times - lots of spots

Colourblind Christmas!

It's Monday again, and that can only mean one thing; a new challenge over at the Haunted Design House blog! This is also our last challenge of the year as Barb is taking a break over the holidays and we Minions wil be stuck in the dungeon with no sign of daylight . . .

You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based Winter Holiday card WITHOUT using RED or GREEN... (Not even a teensie bit of it anywhere :)



Judging by my current rate of organisation, I'm going to need lots of copies of this one this year. I;m always late for one or two people, but this year I think I might be on time for one or two and late for everyone else. This FANTABULOUS Santa image is by Stamp It Crazy, this is my favourite Santa image of all time, I love it! The papers are by Crafty Chaos Designs, from the Velvet Descent and Bittersweet sets.
These are the other challenges I had in mind when creating:
Stamp It Crazy - use an SIC digi to create a Christmas project
Order of the Opus Gluei - if you make it, we will come
Getting Crafty with Ann - non-traditional Christmas colours
Sparkles Forum Challenge - Christmas
One Stitch At a Time - anything goes
Incy Wincy Designs - non-traditional Christmas colours
Pear Tree Designs - Christmas
Cupcake Craft Challenges - non-traditional Christmas
Stamp with Fun - Christmas
Papertake Weekly - red and green must not be seen
Creative Card Crew - anything goes
Top Tip Tuesday - use a ribbon
A Spoon Full of Sugar - Christmas cards
Simon Says Stamp - Christmas without red or green
Stampavie and More - Christmas
Crafty Ann's Challenge - sketch and/or Christmas (I used both, but turned the sketch sideways)
Penny's Challenges - Christmas
Thoughtful Thursdays - the letter N (for Noel, in this case)
Shirley's 2 Girls - holidays + glitter and bling (my snowflakes)
CARDS Challenge - Christmas with no red or green
Delicious Doodles - 1 image, 2 dps, and 3 embellishments (I ribbon and 2 snowflakes)
Frosted Designs - use a ribbon
Stamp Something - digi
Creative Inspiration - Christmas
Stamp Scrap and Doodle - monochromatic. Also another quick note to let you know that I won a challenge back in October, and I've tried to get in touch with you numerous times since then, via email and your blog, but I still haven't heard anything at all. I really don't want to start a Wall of Shame, it seems so mean, but, seriously, what do I need to do to hear back from you?

Missing mojo; if found, please return!

You know how sometimes a piece will just come together almost effortlessly, and everything goes right first time? Well, today has NOT been one of those days :P


This is my entry for the following challenges:
Simply Betty 12 Days of Christmas - Day 8, make a Sandy Claws project using an SBS image. Ok, I couldn't turn any of my Betty images into a Sandy Claws one, and seeing the WONDERFUL digi that's on offer as a prize made everything I tried look dreadful in comparison :P So, I gave up on actually using the guy himself, and decided to use some lyrics from the "Kidnap The Sandy Claws" song as inspiration, and hide him away in a box. Rio is plotting various nefarious schemes to bring Sandy Claws to Oogie Boogie ;)
The Pixie Cottage - sketch and/or sparkle and shime
The Play Date Cafe - colour combo of blues, purple, black and white. Most of my purple has ended up looking black, but all the glitter bits and half of her outfit are deep purple.
Aly's Sunday Challenge - be inspired by your favourite Christmas movie (Nightmare Before Christmas)
Ooh La La Creations - be inspired by a Christmas song (Kidnap the Sandy Claws)
Freshly Brewed Designs - sparkle and shine
The Character Cafe - glitter
Alphabet Challenges - G is for Glitter
Lots to Do - glitz



And this one is for the following challenges:
Crafty Emma's Store - anything but a Christmas card
Fairymoon Crafts - sketch plus white and green.
Craft Your Passion - anything goes
Karber Weekly Challenge - fantasy
Creative Card Crew - anything goes
The Burtonesque Dolls - Oogie Boogie fun
Stamp Something - Digital

The images are Devil Rio by Simply Betty Stamps, Oogie Boogie by chlorene at DeviantArt, and the papers are all by me, some of them are available at Crafty Chaos Designs.

Happily clueless!

I feel like the White Rabbit - "I'm late! I'm late!" Thankfully I'm not yet for any of the challenges I want to enter, I'm just cutting it a bit close. This one uses a Simply Betty Stamps image and papers from the new Clueless set at Crafty Chaos Designs, and here are the challenges I'd like to enter:
Simply Betty 12 Days of Christmas - All I want for Christmas is . . .My Emos! Use an Emo image in a holiday project, plus use the colours purple, lime green and turquoise. (I loved this colour combo so much that I made a new paper set :P)
Crafty Hos Challenge - any religious holiday
Scrappekammeret - Christmas card
Gingerloft Challenge - bows
Pear Tree Designs - Christmas card
Whoopsi Daisy Challenge - ribbons and bows
Spoon Full of Sugar - Christmas cards
Riley and Co - Let's think Christmas
Top Tip Tuesday - use a ribbon
Stampin' Royalty - winter holidays
Penny's Challenge - Christmas
Sweet Sketch Wednesday - sketch 79
Stampavie and More - Christmas
Inktegrity Hump Day - your favourite non-traditional holiday colours. I'm a sucker for purple and green and purple and turquoise, lol, I use it for every occasion ;)
Dutch Dare - Christmas
item
Aud sentiment - Happy Holidays
The Stamp Man - Christmas in any three colours (purple green and turquoise in this case)
The Secret Crafter - Christmas
Challenge Up Your Life - Christmas
Karber Christmas Challenge - use a digi

Pieces of eight!

It's Monday, and that means it's time for another wonderful new Macabre Monday challenge over at the Haunted Design House blog!
Ok, my little pretties... your challenge this week:

Octopodally Ominous
You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween project / card using EXACTLY 8 items. Every little thing counts... card base, image panel, every gem, ribbon, sentiment, etc!! This may be harder than you think ;) No cheating on this one!

And we're sponsored this week by the fantabulous Octopode Factory, I just love these images! I used Cleo the Clown from the Whimsical Circus set, and added a quote by Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King's It. I made this one a 4x4, thinking that the smaller size might make it easier to use only 8 items, but, lol, it was still hard. My items are the black card base, the red paper, the text layer, the image, the frame, two spiders and a band of stabby black icicles.
I followed the sketch over at Simon Says Stamp, the theme at Three Muses is "world of movies" and that's it for challenges for this one! Shocking for me, I know, I was originally intending to make this red and white, which would have covered a couple of other challenges, and fitted with the look of the film, but as I worked the white all turned to black. Thanks for looking, and start counting those supplies, because there must be exactly eight on your project this week :)

Best witches!

It's Day 5 of the 12 Days of Christmas at Simply Betty Challenges, and today the theme is "Jingle Spells, Jingle Spells...it's a Witches Christmas day" and the prize for today is so amazingly wonderful that I had to make more than one card, because it's a personalised digi! Lol, I'm drooling as I type :P


Here are the challenges I made it for:
Totally Gorjuss - sketch
The Stamp Man - any three colours (purple, green, black) plus Christmas theme



For this one, I used the following challenges:
Pear tree Designs - sketch + gems
Stamp It Crazy - snowcones or snowflakes, blue and white, red ribbon
Stampavie and More - snow/snowflakes
Cute Card Thursday - blue
Paper Cutz - Christmas card using two different patterned papers
Pattie's Creations - use a ribbon and at least three embellishments


This one used the following challenges:
What If? wednesday - sketch D110
ABC Christmas Challenge - Y is for Yuletide, include at least one of the following - red and green, holly and berries, candle
Prairie Fairy Fridays - use a star
Speedy the Cat's Friends' Challenges - red and green
Elliephantastic - red and green
Stamp Something - Christmas colour combo

Toxic bats!

Lol, another very un-seasonal Christmas card, they do make me laugh :P This one uses the Devina digi by Simply Betty Stamps and the paper is from Crafty Chaos Designs, Admiring the Lovelorn. These are the challenges I made it for:
Simply Betty Challenges 12 Days of Christmas - Day 4, incorporate some creepy elements into a Christmas card.
Simon Says Stamp - followed the sketch
Stampin' B's Designs - turquoise purple and something shiny
Creative Cottage - untraditional Christmas colours
Top Tip Tuesday - anything goes
Digital Tuesday - animals at Christmas time. I'm guessing radioactive bats weren't top of the list of possibilities :P
Magical Monday at Paper Cupcakes - anything goes
Karber weekly Challenge - sparkle
Totally Stampalicious - anything goes
Card Making Mama - anything goes
Raise the Bar - trees
Delicious Doodles - use a digi
2 Sisters Challenges - non-traditional Christmas colours
Totally Gorjuss - tree

Luscious Lace!

It's Thursday, and that means it's time for a new challenge over at the Stamp Insanity blog, and this week we'd like you to incorporate lace into your creations. And if you pop over to the blog, not only will you see the bee-yootiful creations by the other DT inmates, Beth also has some very exciting news about some HALF-PRICE rubber stamps! My card today uses a sentiment from the Holiday Princesses set by Stamp Insanity, and the paper is from Crafty Chaos Designs.
These are the other challenges I'd like to enter:
Corrosive Challenges - things that move (dangly stars on chains)
Top Tip Tuesday - anything goes
Riley and Co. - let's think Christmas
A Crafty Little Place - anything goes
Magical Monday at Paper Cupcakes - anything goes
Stamps R Us - holday cards
Totally Stampalicious - anything goes
Crazy Challenges - on the move (dangly stars on chains)
Scrappy Frogs - Merry Christmas
Get Sketchy - I'm not really sure what's happening with this one, as the winners seem to have been decided prior to the challenge closing, but I used the sketch
Crafty Catz - Christmas
Paper Cutz Challenge - anything goes
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - anything goes
Just Us Girls - add a 3-D holiday embellishment to your project
Your Next Stamp - CASE a DT member. There are so many wonderful cards to CASE, but I chose to use the layout and the stars on this one, by Maureen Wong

Scary Christmas to you!

Here's one I just finished, the image is by Simply Betty and the papers are by Crafty Chaos Designs Here are the challenges:
Simply Betty 12 Days of Christmas - Day 3 use a creepy Christmas tree. I had such trouble thinking of how I could make a Christmas tree look creepy, and tried dozens of different things, none of which looked right. I almost thought I might not be able to enter this one, and then this morning I had the idea of pyramiding skulls, and I love it, lol, I know I shouldn't say that about my own stuff, but you have no idea of the time I took trying to make a standard Christmas tree look creepy, and once I'd got the idea for this one it was so easy! :D
Pattie's Creations - sketch
One Stitch At A Time - celebrate with bling
Getting Crafty with Anne - not your usual Christmas items. Lol, no actual Christmas stuff in sight here, the colours, image, papers and embellishments are all non-Christmas things ;)
Stamp It Crazy - Christmas