Quick post to show the last few makes here at the Hut. Work been very busy so its nice to have this hobby to relax - to switch off. Today we have both had a day off together, so we have been to make plans for our wedding.

 I made this one with a Stamping Bella stamp, coloured with Promarkers. I cut the window with a nestability from Teresa Collins paper and added a selection of gems and die cut snowflakes. I enjoyed colouring this image and put on the obligatory stickles sparkle with a wooden greeting which seemed very adpt for the stamp.

This is also a Stamping bella stamp. (My current obsession!) I kept this one quite clean and simple as the image is pretty big. I added some ribbon and Pink pearls to co-ordinate with the promarkers. I love pink & green together but it was inspired by the lastest Stamping Bella blog post and challenge - which I will enter this in to. I am finding challenges really useful to giv me some inspiration but its hard to keep on top of all the different ones and the closing dates!
All for now - I have a few more cards nearly finished so will post again soon, (:(|)x

Christmas is coming....

Just a quick post as I want to enter this card into a challenge that ends very soon. So Yep... I have started my Christmas cards... probably a bit late than some crafters out there. 

These cards are made with images from @Stamping Bella. Love the images on the stamps...I have a bit of an addiction I think! I love the way the card sparkles and the paper is ace - Its from Websters Page. I mounted it on Glitter card and coloured the stamped image with Promarkers. I added some Stickles to her hat along with some ribbon secured with a green gem brad. I'm pleased with how its turned out and will be entering this card into the Stamping Bella Sketch Challenge and Passion for Promarkers Challenge - "Sparkle". (:(|)x

Sorry for the neglect!

Blimey - I didn't post at all in April! My excuse is that the House has been demanding my attention (ie the Boyf has been writing lists of jobs that need doing.) We have decorated all the bedrooms now and started on the dining room. But what I've been mostly busy with is my garden. Its took me ages to weed and plant everywhere. Its looking good now and all my veggies are doing well - We have spinach, peas, carrots, tomatoes, beetroot, lettuce, pak choi and so much more that I won't bore you with... but I may post a picture someday soon...(I know - spoil you readers!)

So - here are my only two creations from recent times. 

I don't think this one is finished?? It needs a greeting but not sure what yet! I used my doodlebug glitter again over orange promarkers to give it the scaly sparkle. The Mermaid is a digital image from Some Odd Girl and I will enter it into the challenge as I am loving the orange and pink colour combo at the moment. The patterned papers are also Doodlebug. 

This image is another from Stamping Bella - Uptown Girls range. I am loving these at the mo. I've paper pieced with paper from Crate Paper On Trend range and then used some strips of the same range down the side. I added some co-ordinating ribbon, doodlebug Sequins and resin flowers. I stamped the greeting from a set I have from Paper Smooches and added a few gems. The photo doesn't show it but I used Wink of Stella to accent the chair and also glossy accents on the wine bottle and glass.

Well - that's all for now. Promise not to leave it for so long next time! (:(|)x

Mothers day Cards

Sorry the light is a bit dodgy on this photos but I really wanted to show up the sparkle so had to use the lamp. I LOVE the Doodlebug glitter used on her tail. It is made up of tiny little discs so is perfect for scales! The image is from Tiddly Inks -This is the first time I've coloured her up but will defo be using her much more often! I've also been using my Silhouette Cameo... the background is a digital cut wave pattern and so is the seaweed boarder. I've added a load of gems and some foam Thickers letters.

This is SOG Super Mae - I made this for a young teenage boy to give to his mum for Mothers Day. I used die-namics City scape and the hearts background. Both images were coloured with Promarkers and the greeting was created with letters from Doodlebug.

This card uses my latest Stamping Bella Uptown girl stamp coloured (as always ) with my Promarkers. I added a couple of Prima flowers but kept it fairly simple as the background is so busy. I cut the frame and letters using the Silhouette - I'm getting the hang of the machine now.

This was the card I made for my Mum - we have a pooch like this called Bertie. 

I used the Silhouette to cut this silhouette of the dog and used the letters I had cut from the other card to add on this one. I then just added a couple of gems. 

 I had to put a picture of him in too! This is him peering through some stair railings. He is a Cairn Terrier and has a lovely gentle nature. 

Design Team call entries.

I entered some cards into a Design Team submission call for Some Odd Girl! I kind of slipped onto the send button! I didn't get picked and doubt I was even a consideration as some of the creations posted on the facebook page and blog are amazing... but got to be in it to win it - right?! I have lost nothing by trying as I am making cards with the Some Odd Girl images all the time anyway.

The cards below are two that  I submitted... What do you think? 

This one is a commission for a joint 30th birthday. They were having a Great Gatsby Themed party so I had lovely time researching on Pinterest. (Have you visited my Pinterest board?? I'm addicted to the whole site!)

I kept the colours to black, gold and pearls with an Art Deco feel. Once again the Die-namincs city scape was used. I used warm greys for the suit and natural colours like Satin and cappuccino to give Flapper Mae's dress a bit of shading. I then covered it entirely with glitter so it sparkles. I added some pearls for her necklace and headband and added a touch of soft green to the feather and eyes. Some swirly pearls and art deco corners finished the card. 

I'm going to enter this into the monthly challenge on SOG blog which is all about the gold. I'm getting a bit gung-ho now with entering contests!

This was the second entry using SOG Coy Kaylee. Happy was cut with a Die-namics die and Simple stories paper. I love these colours. 

Promarker Colour combo.

Just a quick post so I can attached this to Pinterest.... I've been practising colouring combos with my promarkers to try and perfect my hair! I printed off a sheets of blank heads from Some Odd Girl and started to colour.... Got a few schemes I like ... Now to put them to use in creating some cards.

I've also been distracted playing with my new gadget this week... I am the proud owner of a Silhouette Cameo... I have been watching lots of tutorials on You Tube and got loads of inspiration and ideas. I love it already and I only know a small percentage of the cool things it can do!!

This week I also got a new stash of crafty paper and embellishments from the new range at Doodlebug. I love all the stuff they produce but as soon as I saw these I HAD to have them! And I NEEDED one of every colour!!

And these below are what I created with them.... I entered them into the Some odd Girl challenges but didn't win... oh well - just have to keep trying!

I thought of the AHA video which was half Black and white cartoon when I was making this card (Not sure why?) but tried to recreate it.All the materials are Doodlebug - with the exception of the "You Rock" which is from Studio Calico. The images are both from Some Odd Girl and coloured with Promarkers.

The papers on this one are from Teresa Collins -Family collection with so Bazzill Black base card. I love these round base cards but don't use them as often as I should. I just added a few sequins and the die cut creating from My Favourite Things - Die-namics.

Right all for now - Speak soon Monkey Mates (:(|)x

Cheeky Bingo.

I've recently been using Die cut tickets and Bingo cards a lot! They are great for Birthdays by highlighting the age. So I thought I'd post a couple of examples here for you guys to see -

The images are from The Greeting Farm. This one is called Cheeky Rockabilly. 

The papers are from Echo Park - This and That Grateful range.

I used Spellbinders to cut the small die that highlights the 30 with some gems. I made some paper bunting and also added some natural coloured lace. The image is coloured with Promarkers as always! 

This Greeting Farm image is called Cheeky mate. I love this image - I think they are all fun and live up to the name. I love the retro look of them. This card I kept to a naval colour scheme of red , white and blue. The paper is from Doodlebug and the scalloped circle from Spellbinders. I used a red and white stripey ribbon and some Peel offs - including the greeting which I coloured with Promarkers. I think my peel off collection gets neglected these day and we need to start a campaign to bring them back!! 

I actually made this card a while ago but forgot to post it and as its also uses TGF Cheeky Rockabilly - I thought I'd be a bit cheeky and stick it in here to show it off! I really like the colours and tried to keep it bright and funky but a bit different with the grey background. I added some gem swirls and a resin bird. The Happy Birthday is from Craftwork Cards. The mirror frame is from Sizzix and the paper flowers are finished with some colourful resin flowers. 

It's a Chicken or Egg situation!

What comes first when creating a card? Should you pick and colour an image  - then find papers and embellishments to fit the colours & theme? Or is it the other way around... pick a paper and theme then colour the image to match... Its a chicken or egg situation!! 

This card was easy... I had the image and then found these papers (in TK Maxx of all places!?) The phone theme was perfect and the image was coloured to match the colours in the paper. I added some glitter to her fluffy slippers and glossy accents to the retro phone. Its a SOG girl image - Phone call Mae and the papers are from Pebbles - From Me to You range. The greeting was a rub on that was just right for this card. So the design process for this one really sorted itself... Its not always so easy...!

First time I've coloured this image - yep you guessed it -from SOG and She is called Rani. I really wanted her hair to have that blue tinted shine and look really rich. The papers are from Dear Lizzy - Lucky Charm and the darker blue paper has been die cut with a Die-namics falling hearts die. I stuck with rich colours when colouring with my Promarkers and added the yellow gem swirls and glitter along the gold trim of her clothes. Beautiful isn't she! 

I saw this paper and instantly knew what I would do with it - very rare for me as usually I sit and ponder for ages getting inspiration (Or as the other half says - I sit stroking my stash!) ANNOYINGLY I can't remember where this paper is from and Ive searched the web high and low. Ive cut the label off as it didn't fit in my paper cutter with that little extra trim and now I don't know what range its from and I want more of it!! Anyone know .... Answers on a postcard!! The image is Library Mae from SOG. I used a Die-namics die to create the top of the library card and stamped dates from a Dear Lizzy (American Crafts) roller punch. The hardest thing was to pick the dates so I went for memorable date to me... my last birthday (May) and the date we moved into our new house (March - can't believe we've been in it nearly a year already!!) The "JUST A NOTE" is a Paper Smooches stamp. They are my latest favourite greetings!! Coloured as always with Promakers and added a few enamel dots from My Minds Eye. 

I loved colouring this image - Its Mae Antoinette from Some Odd Girl - Fab isn't it. I found this paper in my stash which compliments the french theme perfectly - Its from Crate Paper - Fourteen range. I added loads of glitter to her dress, the large Gem swirls and some Papermania navy lace. I actually sent this to my Mum for her Birthday as she loves chocolate and baking.  

Short and Simple (:(|)x

I have to be honest - there isn't much to write about this week! I've worked some long hours (22 hrs shift on Wed?!) and not done very much else. So this post will be short and simple - A display of the new cards that I've created to help me relax. I can seriously lose hours when I am sat at my desk colouring images.

This is the first showing of my first creation with my new stamp from Stamping Bella. It took me a bit of practice to get back into stamping as most of my images are digital now but I got it right after 4 attempts. It was fun to colour and add the obligatory glitter too!

I tried to keep the colours a little more muted than the brights I normally use. I got it from a lovely new shop called Crafty Mojo. (www.craftmojo.co.uk) 

The image is from the Uptown Girls range and coloured with Promarkers. I used glitter on the dress and jacket along with some glossy accents on the wine bottle and glasses. The papers are from American Crafts - Dear Lizzy range called Lucky Charm and I used a Martha Stewart punch for the zigzag edge. A couple of gems and a coordinating ribbon and it was complete. I'm not really sure who or what its for at the moment so I'll add a greeting when I decide! 

This card was a commission for Diane who was celebrating her 50th Birthday (Did you guess??) The paper is from Simple Stories Vintage bliss. I love stripey paper! The image is from Pink Petticoat. I used my Die-namics sky scene die cut and added some ribbon and a resin bird. Looking at it now I realise the Happy Birthday spots are not straight.... that would have really annoyed me if I'd noticed it earlier! I like things straight!! 

This one is just wonky because of me cropping. I probably took the picture with loads of things in the background so had the crop it right in close. I'm sure you recognise a fab Some Odd Girl image by now! I kept this quite clean and simple and am pleased with how it turned out. The paper is from Crate Paper - The Maggie Holmes range which is really funky. I love the pink Brick paper! The sentiment is from Jillibean Soup.

Right that's all from me for now

(:(|)x

Photoshop elements and watermarks.

Evening all,
The Oth'half bought me Photoshop Elements for my laptop and taught me yesterday how to watermark my photos. He'd always done it for me before on his all singing & all dancing Photoshop but a quick search on You tube for how to do it on Elements 11 - and I was all set up.

So hopefully all my pictures for now on will be edited to perfection and watermarked to stop any sneaky digital thieves claiming my pictures as there own. (Although I'm not really sure what they would use them for??) I just need to find the right location now to photograph them in so they have the best light. So without further ado... here are a few more  creations to be showcased...

I made this card using the Some Odd Girl digital image of Tia coloured with Promarkers. Ava had just become a big sister to Baby brother Max. I kept it clean and simple with some flowery ribbon and Doodlebug lettering. Added a heart shaped button and some dots of liquid pearls to finish it off. 

I made this one for my gorgeous Goddaughter Lucy. She has recently started ballet and loves wearing her tutu as much as she loves Pink. I can't believe she is 3 already! The digital image is from Whimsy Doodles and coloured with Promarkers, I added some pink heart gems and paper shapes on the main section of the card and on the valley fold added a large hand cut "3" and a Happy Birthday greeting from Pebbles.  (http://www.whimsiedoodles.com)

I made this card for a commission. I loved the way it came out! The image is from Tiddly Inks coloured with Promarkers and some die cut glittery clouds. The large number 3 was hand cut from American Crafts paper and attached to this cool shaped card. I added some Doodlebug lettering, ribbons and gems to finish it off. 

I actually added a Happy Birthday greeting on to this card but took the photo beforehand for some reason that now escapes me! I printed off several copies of this digital image to cut and layer like decoupage. I uses Echo Park dot papers and loved the colours of pink and aqua together. The ribbon is from Tilda that I got as a bargain at Hobbycraft. I die cut the letters from the same paper and added some stickles to make the water splashes sparkle. Finally, I mounted it onto pink Ombre paper and used a Letraset fine nib pen to add stitch effect details. 

All for now Monkeys, 

(:(|)x

Best of the Boys.

Thought I would write a post to feature a few of my favourite Boys cards. I find them quite difficult to do as I can add all my usual flowers, glitter and gems. As for the "grungy" look - I just cannot do it! I like things bright and clean...

Also if you are sending a card to a man from a lady should the card have an image of a female or a male... so if I was sending my boy a Valentines card should it have a "Me" like image as its me sending him my love or an image of him.... Opinions please??

Stamped image is from Waltzing Mouse for a 60th birthday. Still managed to get a few gems on this one but kept them black so kind of Masculine! 

I made this one for my Dad - Often my family get left till last minute as I'm busy with everything else but at the time my Dad was coming to mow our lawns and help sort out the garden in the new house - so this image was perfect. I used Glossy accents on the front of the lawn mower to make is shiny. 

This a Some Odd Girl image that I loved colouring with my promarkers. The background paper is one from my digi stash from Pink Petticoat. Think the simple background is really effective. 

I can't remember who I made this for... maybe a commission. It uses Echo Park background papers and a magnolia stamp on a valley fold card. Edwin is coloured with promarkers - not a gem in sight but there is some glitter on the cloud! 

These tools were cut by hand by me and then shaded to give them some dimension. The tool box is made from ribbed paper to give it a rugged look. I got the idea from this out of one of the crafting magazines that I used to subscribe to - I don't tend to buy them now as having them digitally is soooo much easier.

This was a commission for an 18th birthday for a gadget & computer addict!I found the image from a digital stamp website - sorry I can't remember which one (Mental note to self - Keep notes! ) I also tried to keep the colours simple as I don't think an 18 year old boy can be impressed with a card - ever!

 Well - that is enough from me for now. 

Hope you like them... x 

Spreading some love...

Today I thought I'd share some of my Valentines cards. I'm not big on the slushy mushy stuff so they may not be traditional in style! As you can see from the first card...

Really pleased with how this turned out. I used my new DIE-NAMICS backgrounds and city skyscape. The image is Some Odd Girl coloured with promarkers and glaze on his goggles, wellies and bottle. I tired to make it look like the green was reflecting on his face and added a few green gems.

On this next one I used a Spellbinders die cut heart and "love" die cut word from Die-namics also. I coloured the Some Odd Girl image to match the selected papers and added some ribbon and gems.

This one is probably me favourite. One of the Amazing talents that makes samples for Some Odd Girl did one with a similar layout and I though it was so effective and would make a great Valentines card. I  loved the simplicity and brights colours. Thank you Angie for creating stunning cards! 

This next one sticks with the Chemistry theme and was a card made from a PaperSmooches stamp. Im loving using yellow at the mo! 

I thought this was a bit different... I used one of my massive collection of Peel Offs - that I do neglect! I used a little shading and added more peel off arrows. I attached the peel off to some spellbinder die cut shapes which I had run through a spotty embossing folder for texture. The red bone paper is Doodlebug and all mounted on a valley fold Kraft card. 

Thought a few of these would be suitable for a guy too - not something I find very easy. 

All for now.... Hope you like them. See you soon. x

Only a month since Christmas...

I can't believe Christmas was only a month ago... seems ages ago since we had all the family round. We had a real push to get a few rooms done in the house - particularly the bedroom as until then the wardrobes had been in the dining room. You don't really want to be sitting eating your mince pies surrounded by socks and shoes. 

Anyway enough drivel from me... the purpose of this post is to show the last few Christmas cards I made - which as always are for my family! My own cards are normally the ones completed about a day before the event!! Ill share a little secret too... some of these still weren't finished when I photographed them - as you will see many were missing the greetings as I couldn't decide who I was sending which card. 

The first two are images from Tiddly Inks coloured as always with Promarkers. 

The next three images are Some Odd Girl. The first I made for my other half who normally goes without due to my lack of organisation!

This next image is from a Polly Doodles CD Rom. I added a big red Merry Christmas underneath the twine but I forgot to photograph it before I sent it! 

The final two are from Bugaboo digital images. They have a great range and I loved this onesie - it went so well with my Doodlebug papers. 

So that's me up to date with Christmas!! From now on all relevant and current pictures!
Can't wait to share my latest Valentines cards with you.
Speak soon, Liz x