Papertake Winner...

Hello all, hope you've had a lovely Christmas. I've completely lost track of the days and as much as I enjoy the festivities I'm looking forward to getting back to normal now, I've eaten and drunk far too much as usual so wont be looking forward to getting on the scales next week!

 

Just a quick post tonight with my Papertake winner from the final challenge - drawn from my comments the winner is you Kanda. Well done, please email me your address to anne40@gmail.com

 

Have a fantastic New Year everyone, it's Joe's birthday on the 31st so we've always celebrated his birthday rather than New Year's Eve but he's 19 this time so will no doubt be out with his friends which will be a change for us - oooh the options, we'll probably end up staying in with a take away!! 

 

 

Anne xx

Papertake Weekly - last ever challenge

 

Hello lovelies…

I can’t believe it’s over a month since I last did a post and that it’s Christmas in a few days, how did that happen?

 

What's going on with livewriter? I've tried to do this on 2 computers and it won't let me sign in. I'm just doing it as a new post  on blogger but it's not very user friendly

I’ve probably got lots to tell you but my main news is that I’m now a lady of leisure, whooo hoo! I was very sad to leave Lili of the Valley and the lovely team there but I decided after much umming and ahhing that at 50 and having worked full time since I left college at 18 that it was time for a break. We’ll see what the New Year brings but at the moment I’m planning to spend ridiculous amounts of time on my hobbies and catching up with friends and family. I’ve never not had a job so it might take some getting used to…  I’ll probably just waste the first month cuddling Manny and watching rubbish on the TV lol

You may have seen on Paper Take Weekly that this week is our last ever challenge which is very sad. It was THE first challenge blog and Dawny has done an amazing job to keep it so successful amongst probably 1000’s of others now

If you fancy joining in, the final challenge is to choose one of your favourite PTW challenges, any, since the very beginning  (so pretty much anything you want to make will fit in somewhere!) We are sponsored by Simon Says Stamp and the girls on the team are also adding a little prize each of their own. I have a Marianne die as my prize so if you are entering the challenge leave me a comment on here letting me know and I’ll draw a winner on the 29th when the challenge closes

 

I chose Pretty Pastels as my favourite theme, I love using pastel colours on my cards and this is the card I've made for Jess’s 21st…

 

I cut the big numbers using my Cricut and the cute image is ‘saddle up’ from LOTV. The papers are from their Pastel Dreams and Up, Up & Away pads which are no longer available (sorry!)

It’s 8x8 which is bigger than I usually make but I was pleased with how it turned out – you can’t really see on the pic but there are quite a few layers and foam pads. I don’t often use sequins either but really liked them and will use them again

 

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Hope you like it, check out what the rest of the team have done on the Papertake blog and all the details are on there too

I’d just like to say a quick thanks to my lovely friend Dawny for all the work she’s put into Papertake Weekly, it takes a lot of commitment to run a challenge and I know she’s been up against it the last few months. We’re all sorry to see it finish and I’m sure the crafters will be too but it's better to go out while you’re still on top I think! 

Don’t forget to leave me a comment to be in the prize draw!

I'll have no excuse to not catch up with all your blogs in the New Year but until then have a wonderful Christmas everybody

 

Any Image Challenge…

 

 

Hello everyone, thanks for stopping by. I made a card this week for the Ribbon Girl challenge that is completely different for me. I needed an 80th Birthday card for a special lady and the style I usually make just didn’t cut it -  I took some inspiration from the fabulous Kathy because her cards are exquisite

It's a USE ANY IMAGE anything goes challenge and I was so carried away using all the gorgeous Ribbon Girl goodies that I just realised I didn’t actually use an image …ooops, sorry Mary and Andrea! 

(you are supposed to) …use an image, it can be any of your choosing and we hope to see all types of projects including cards, boxes, gift boxes, candles etc

This challenge will run for 2 weeks ending at 9pm on Saturday 29th November. All the details are on the Ribbon Girl blog as well as some gorgeous cards from the team – and, there will be 3 winners chosen at random from the entries

 

 

There’s quite a long list of supplies, here’s what I used from the Ribbon Girl; 25mm cream cotton lace, tulle, stickles, pink and ivory button twine, 3mm and 5mm flat back pearls, rhinestone self adhesive butterflies and dragonflies, teardrop ivory pearlised pins, ivory 10mm and 20mm open roses, tiny pale pink rosebuds

…and here’s everything else; LOTV/Raspberry Road Always & Forever papers, Noor border die, Spellbinders rose creations die, Spellbinders oval and scalloped oval dies, Memory Box foliage die

There are a few things I would do differently next time but all in all I’m pretty pleased with it and will definitely make another. Kathy uses lots of pearl flourishes so that’s something I need to get as they are a lovely finishing touch

I’m curious to know what you think so leave a comment if you have a minute, I love to read them

Enjoy your week crafters

 

 

Jack Russell…

 

 

Hello everyone, Jess has been home this week so we’ve been Christmas shopping today. I’ve already got quite a few things online so that’s me just about done. I hate going to town when it’s busy so always try to start early and ordering things to be delivered is my idea of perfect shopping! I love it when the postman comes with parcels even if they’re not for me (although there are usually a few crafty bits sneaked in amongst the gifts!!)

I always loved bonfire night but I’m glad we didn’t have anything planned tonight because it’s pouring down with rain here so I’ve watched the local fireworks out of the window. Manny is so funny, he’s very timid and runs a mile if someone coughs near him yet he is completely oblivious to all the bangs and flashes going off – they don’t bother him at all!

 

Onto the new challenge at Papertake Weekly and as it’s the first one of the month we have our usual…

Anything Goes

…our optional extra is to make a gift for Christmas but remember this is only an option. I would usually have jumped at the chance to do a Christmas gift because I got a new cracker die but I couldn’t resist this week making a card with one of the new Lili of the Valley ‘Little Critter’ stamps. You are going to love this new release, Little Folk and Little Critters are great value for money with 2 images and some sentiments on the stamp for just £4.50 – and they are SO cute! They are launched on the website next week and a limited number can be bought at the NEC if you are going this week

This adorable image on my card is Jack Russell…

 

 

I used Butterfly Kisses papers which are my favourite green and pink colour combination

It’s a Creative Expressions embossing folder and there are a few dies… Marianne (fence) Lawn Fawn (sentiment) Spellbinders (circle & scalloped circle) and Memory Box (clouds & butterflies)

The lovely gems are Papermania

 

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Hope you like it, you can see all the details for the challenge and some inspiration from the team on the Papertake blog and there’s a Lili of the Valley voucher up for grabs for the lucky winner this week

 

Enjoy the rest of your week crafters, thanks for stopping by

 

 

All About The Base…

 

 

Evening crafters, Sunday again and it doesn’t seem like 2 minutes since I was sat here doing last weeks post…

…the clocks went back in the UK this weekend so it was dark just after 5 tonight and I don’t feel like doing much else other than getting snuggled up on the sofa in front of Strictly. Wasn’t Jay’s pulp fiction jive AMAZING by the way? as you can see from my blog name learning to jive has been top of my bucket list for many years and I live in the hope that one day I’ll persuade Keith to go along with me to a class. My favourite to date was Jill Halfpenny and her partner Darren Bennett a good few years ago although Darcey Bussell did a very elegant version (she would wouldn’t she!) with Ian Waite, I just love watching them

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Onto this weeks challenge at Papertake Weekly and it’s…

All About The Base

…so this week we want to see different shaped base cards – anything at all that you want, apart from a square

There’s a lovely Ribbon Girl voucher up for grabs for the lucky winner and as always some inspiration from the team to get you started

You can enter and also find all the details for the challenge on the Papertake Weekly blog

 

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I used a Craftwork Cards base for this (I think it’s called ‘elegant’) and I used Lili of the Valley Always & Forever papers and the Wedding Couple image which is available either as a stamp or in the True Love Art Pad

 

 

We’re going to a wedding next weekend so this is for the happy couple, I made a lovely box to match and the sentiment is done on the computer

The bow die is Doohickey and the heart string is Penny Black – I also added some of favourite tulle from the Ribbon Girl which adds a lovely bit of texture

Hope you like it, thanks as always for your comments and enjoy your Sunday evening everyone

 

 

Two by Two…

 

 

Hello lovely crafters, are you having a nice weekend? I hope so, they just go too quickly don’t they!

I’ve been getting the garden cut back because it’s the last brown bin next week, we’ve been to the tip twice too – I think it would be a good idea to put on an extra collection at this time of year before it finishes for the Winter, I always have so much waste when I’m cutting everything back. The garden looks very dull, I love it when it’s full of flowers! But, I’m thinking more time for crafting now the weather has changed so that’s got to be good!!

There is still time to enter the challenge at Papertake Weekly and this week it’s…

Two By Two

…please use 2 images or 2 papers or 2 different types of embellishments… or you may have your own interpretation!

We have a lovely prize from…

The Hobby House

 

…and as always there is some fabulous inspiration from the girls on the team

You can find all the details on the Papertake blog

 

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I went with 2 Lili of the Valley products for my ‘2’…

…I used a stamp and some of their lovely papers

 

 

This cute image is Annabel playing tennis and the papers are from the Up Up & Away/Pastel Dreams collection

I coloured Annabel and cut it out, then shaped and stuck her on with some pinflair to give it a bit of dimension. I cut and added the ball separately

The lovely gems and velvet ric rac are from the Ribbon Girl

 

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Enjoy your evening everyone, Keith has just gone to collect his Sunday takeaway but I’m being good and having slimming world curry – not as nice but I’ll be glad tomorrow when I get weighed! 10lbs lost so far and I have the 1 stone award in my sights so I’m feeling quite strong at the moment

Then it’s Downton and Homeland – lovely jubbly!

 

Happy New Year!

 

 

Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by…

There’s another EVERYTHING GOES WITH AN IMAGE challenge over on the Ribbon Girl blog this week and it’s nice and easy because it’s everyone’s favourite ‘anything goes’ theme!

As usual there are two fabulous prizes, there is is a stamp of the winners choice from our Lili of the Valley and a £10 voucher from The Ribbon Girl towards a shopping spree in their store (the winner is chosen at random)

 

The Design Team have created some lovely projects as always to give you some inspiration, their work and all the details for the challenge can be found on the Ribbon Girl blog 

 

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I used one of the new Lili of the Valley ‘Calendar Fairies’ there is one for each month of the year and if you buy all 12 at the moment you get a fabulous FREE ‘Months & Seasons’ sentiment set

 

 

This is January Fairy and I made a Happy New Year Card. The star border die is from Noor and I used some lovely goodies from the Ribbon Girl store;

Celery green ruffle edge sheer ribbon

Silver glitter mesh ribbon

5mm self adhesive crystals

2mm self adhesive crystals

Stickles glitter glue

 

Hope you like it, I’ll be back in a few days with my Papertake Card  - thanks as always for your comments I love to read them x

Have a good week everyone