For You...

Hey!

Just a quick post to show a card I've made for you! Yup, this card is for all the lovely and inspirational people who visit my little corner of Blogland! You have no idea how much I appreciate your lovely comments and support, *MWAH*!

Card Recipe
Paper: Cosmo Cricket The Boyfriend/PTI Dark Chocolate/PTI Vintage Cream
Accessories: Grungeboard/Promarkers (coloured my Grungeboard with 'em!)/Sewing Machine/PTI Ocean Tides Ribbon/Cuttlebug/Nestabilities

This card also qualifies for a challenge set by an inspirational blogger Amy over at 365 cards (I'm new to it but it looks fab for daily doses of mojo kicking!). Digging Deep is the challenge - to use something that you've hoarded. You can probably tell from my card that I hoard Grungeboard and never seem to use the stuff!

Whilst digging, I blew the dust off my sewing machine. Geez! I realised why I don't use it much - took so long for me to get working but worth the hours sat with instructions in the end! It's still set up now so I may try to use it more next year...

...which leads me nicely onto wishing you all a very happy New Year! Here's to 2010!

OK gotta dash, shower and get ready for a night out with cocktails a plenty to celebrate the New Year!

Catch ya next year (tee hee!)
Aimes
x

Seeing Stars!

Hey!

Y'all recovered from the last few days?! Order is nearly restored here though we've got a mountain of naughty treats to eat - we think we could ration them out until at least Easter LOL!

Most people here have gone back to work today, so I'm making the most of having this week off by getting inky! It feels like ages since I've been able to sit and stamp and make something 'just because'!

Today I'm sharing a card that I've posted on our PTI blog for our new challenge entitled Super Stars!Don't panic! No sewing machine's were harmed in the making of this card! It's just some paper piercing and a fineline black pen LOL!

I still needed some mojo boosting so based my card on the new Mojo Monday sketch #119Yup, it's totally outta my comfort zone with the colours and I confess that I'm still unsure about it! Though I still braved it and went ahead uploading it as sometimes one crafter's undecided creation is another crafter's joy! LOL!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Star Prints
Ink: Lemon Tart/True Black
Cardstock: True Black/Stamper's Select White/Lemon Tart/Lemon Tart 2008 Bitty Star Basics
Other: Nestabilities/Adhesive Gems/Paper Piercer/Fine Black Pen

OK, I'm keeping it short and sweet today! Obviously I'd love it if you could join in with our challenge and share the inspiration! For now though, I'm back off to my crafty corner to tidy a little and then craft some more!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Delving into Digis...

Hey!

Happy Boxing Day! I hope y'all had a fabby Christmas day too! Chris and I managed to travel to our families thanks to the bright sun melting some ice and snow - though there's still a fair bit around so we celebrated a very preddy Christmas day. I over indulged along with my dad; we always do as we can't bear the thought of food being wasted LOL!

So today, apart from it being Boxing Day and my Mum's Birthday (another card to share there later!), I'm sharing the gift tags I made for my nieces and nephews' presents. I think I was having a crazy spell with this idea - the presents looked lovely with the tags but why oh why did I add making 7 tags to the never ending list of things to be done?!

Now when I get around to uploading some more cards I created for Christmas you'll totally realise that I'm on a colouring obsession at the mo! (I think it's because I find it so relaxing amongst all the chaos) So I wanted something fun, cute and fun to colour for the gift tags and found the perfect solution over at All That Scraps! I purchased some Digi images...now I'm not a complete convert to 'em because nothing beats geting inky, but they're fab when you're in a real rush and have no time to wait for rubber to arrive on your doorstep!

So without further ado let's crack on with all seven tags shall we?

Cameron...

...Morgan...

...Cora...actually I tend to call her Cora Lilly-Belle but there was no way that was fitting on this tag LOL!...

...Harry...

...Thomas...

...Ruby...

...and last, but by no means least, Charlie who is celebrating his first Christmas!

All the images were printed on PTI Stampers' Select White Cardstock, coloured with Promarkers and mounted onto various PTI cardstock using my Nesties. The lettering comes from a book of alphabet transfers that I accidentally found whilst looking for something else - don't ya love it when that happens?!

And while I'm uploading, I've just realised I can enter this for the current challenge over at A Passion for Promarkers - what a bonus!

Right, I'm off to celebrate my Mum's birthday and then tonight I'm off for a catch up with some friends so it could well be a late one ;D

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

T-Minus 2 Hours...

Hey!

So y'all ready for it?! The presents are wrapped and the obligatory scoffing's already commenced yet I'm not with my family in Derbyshire, but I'm stuck in Sheffield! Yup, snow and ice has meant that Chris and I will be spending at least Christmas morning here - hopefully conditions will improve and we'll see family sooner or later (it's my Mum's Birthday on Boxing Day!), or I'm opening the presents I'm yet to give ;D

So just before the big day (it's T-Minus 2 hours here!) I figured I'd share some Christmas cards. I have a few more to share with you but they can wait till later - I've still got way too much to do as so many people (both family and friends) choose to also have birthdays around Christmas too!

Anyways enough about birthdays - here's the Christmas bit!
I needed something kinda easy to reproduce (not mass produce - I can only stand to make 4 of the same design!) that I could mix up a little bit too! Well, mixed up in as much as alternating the colour ribbon and button!

So firstly using that ever-so-festive pure poppy polka dot ribbon and spring moss button:
And lastly, using some ripe avocado polka dot ribbon and a pure poppy button:
I love that the DP really does the talking on this design - it needs little more than a couple of embellishments. Anything more would steal its spotlight!

Card Recipe
(All PTI)
Stamps: Holiday Tree
Ink: Dark Chocolate/Versamark
Card: Dark Chocolate/Rustic Snowflakes DP/Ocean Tides/Spring Moss/Pure Poppy
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Polka Dot Ribbon Pure Poppy/Polka Dot Ribbon Ripe Avocado/Vintage Buttons Pure Poppy & Spring Moss

So before I sign off, I'd just like to wish you all a very happy holiday - whatever you're doing! I hope you have a peaceful (and in some cases, merry!) few days!

Catch ya later!

Aimes
x

My Mojo Saviour!

Hey!

What a winter wonderland of a weekend! We've just had a load of snow today and it's definitely helping me get into the festive spirit!

Whilst I'd love to have been frolicking in the snow, I was paying the price for being so very unorganised this Christmas! I've been trapped away making lots of cards - I swear I'm gonna start in January for Christmas 2010!

My mind was blank today. On the one hand I don't like to mass produce the same design - I get kinda bored, but on the other hand it's hard to keep the mojo alive and kicking! Thankfully - Mojo Monday came to my rescue! Here's their near-ending sketch: ..and here's my take on it:

...I couldn't resist adding that bit of bling - just hope it still requires a small postage stamp LOL!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Inkadinkado Snowflake/PTI Signature Christmas

Ink: PTI Aqua Mist/Sweet Blush

Card: PTI Aqua Mist/Lavender Moon/Stamper's Select White/DP from Craftwork Cards

Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Martha Stewart Border Punch/Clear Gem/White Gel Pen

Seeing as this was a pretty simple design, I decided to make two more for recipients who appreciate the tradition Christmas colours!

Big, bold red:

...and gorgeous green:

The red glitter sparkles so much more IRL - this is the best shot I could get of it:

Card Recipe

Stamps: Inkadinkado Wreath/PTI Stocking Prints (sentiment)

Card: PTI Vintage Cream/SU! DP

Ink: PTI Ripe Avocado/Pupre Poppy

Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Martha Stewart Border Punch/Red Stickles

That's all I've got that I can upload for now - I've really gotta get these cards in the post! It's the deadline tomorrow for guaranteed Christmas delivery - best wrap up warm because there's no chance I'm driving in the snow. I'll suggest it as a romantic winter stroll to Chris so I've got some company ;D!

Thanks so much for stopping by during the chaotic Christmas season!

Catch ya later!

Aimes

x

Christmas Cats!

Hey!

Well we've officially broken up for the Christmas Holidays! WOO HOO!!! I'm totally pooped after a crazy last day of term, lots of excited students (and adults) eating lots of yummy food and jumping around to some classic Christmas tunes. No wonder I'm feeling a little nauseous still LOL!!

So today I'm going to share with you the cards I made for some special students of mine who challenged me to make them a card with a cat on!Not really too much of a challenge when you're a secret fan of Fluffles the Cat! ;D

It's a pretty simple layout, but as you probably know, time is of the essence during the festive season!
I couldn't decide whether I wanted Fluffles to be grey...
...or brown...
...or maybe just both! LOL!When I proudly handed them over the students they had the nerve to accuse me of buying them! Ha! I took it as a compliment and explained exactly how I'd made 'em; whether they believe me or not is a different matter!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Stampendous Fluffles Tree/PTI Signature Christmas
Card: PTI Rustic Snowflake DP/Bazzill Dotted Swiss
Ink: Memento Black/PTI Fresh Snow
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Promarkers/PTI Pure Poppy Polka Dot Ribbon/White Gel Pen

So I'm off now to carry on getting sorted for Christmas, just picked up some bargain Christmas crackers which are rather fancy and some yummy brandy. After all, what's Christmas without a little tipple to warm your tummy, eh?! ;D

I hope y'all have a fabulous weekend, I have more creations to upload soon - I just gotta make 'em first!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Christmas Chaos!

Hey!

Well I'm well and truly up to my eyeballs with the chaos that is Christmas! In true Aimes style I've left everything to the last minute; in fact, I'm about to dash off with Chris for a spot of late night shopping in the hope I can finally say, "I've done my Christmas shopping!" And don't even get me started on work - total mayhem with very excited students (and adults alike!)

Anyways enough whinging, how about some crafting?

Here's a couple of things I can show you from my recent crafty sessions:

Firstly, a my secret Santa - decorated in true PTI style! Recipe Stamps - Stocking Prints/Holiday Tree Ink - Spring Rain Card - Stampers' Select White/Spring Rain Accessories - Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Vintage Cream Satin Ribbon/Martha Stewart Border Punch

As soon as this pressie was pulled from the tub, everyone knew it was from me LOL! I was hoping to pull it from the tub for myself as I'd bought a scrummy cinnamon soap from Covent Garden market, but I ended up with Jelly Tots instead! Oh well, at least it went to a colleague who loved it and will give it a good home!

Secondly, have you checked out the new challenge on our PTI blog? It's entitled Macho Macho Man! I had that song stuck in my head at the time though you don't have to sing it, you just have to create something with a masculine air to it! As my Christmas stamps are very inky at the mo, and within easy reach, I decided to dedicate this challenge to creating a card for my Honey:
Good job he loves green! LOL!

I kinda like the different colours - I used soft stone as my neutral card, that way the fresh snow ink shows up making a nice but modern winter scene. The ribbon twine was originally white too, but once I'd dragged it through my smokey shadow inkpad it coordinated fantastically with the rest of the card! A word of warning though, you do get VERY inky fingers doing this, be careful what you touch straight after (and yes, that includes your face ;D)

Recipe Stamps: Holiday Tree/Vintage Labels Ink: New Leaf/Smokey Shadow/Fresh Snow Card: Smokey Shadow/New Leaf/Soft Stone Accessories: New Leaf Vintage Button/Cuttlebug/Cuttlebug Swiss Dot Embossing Folder/Nestabilities/True Black Saddle Stitch Ribbon/White Ribbon Twine

I've also had my arm twisted by some of my students to give them a handmade card - though with one condition: they had to feature a cat! Well I've nearly done it - just gotta stick 'em together (the card btw, not the students!), take a piccy, and give 'em! I'll upload them soon!

Right then, that's all I've got for now - I'm off to get some more Christmas shopping done!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Hey Sweetie!

Hey!

Well what a busy season Christmas proves to be, I'm so sorry that the blog has to take a bit of a back seat amongst the chaos of Christmas shopping, Christmas meals, Christmas drinks, Christmas card making, Christmas wrapping etc.....

Anyways, I was s'posed to upload this card the minute I arrived back from a fabulous weekend in London but after a 4 hour train journey home, the only thing I could do was eat and sleep in a zombiefied state LOL! Still, better late than never eh?!

This was a card I made for my fabulous new buddy, Caryn! I had the pleasure of being in Caryn's company the other weekend (that I'm still recovering from!) and tried my best to send a quick card for her Bday before I left for the weekend!

Again, I attempted a bow on that darned single sided polka dot ribbon! I'm not so scared of bows now, though I do spend soooooo long trying to perfect it that it takes longer than the rest of the card takes to make LOL!

Card Recipe

Stamps: My Favouite Things - What's up Cupcake?

Ink: Memento Black

Card: DCWV

Accessories: Promarkers, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Polka Dot Ribbon (from stash)

Anyways, that's it from me! Short and sweet! Hope y'all having a fab week so far - we're half way through, woo hoo!

Catch ya later!

Aimes

x

I'm On Team EdCob!

Hey!

Phew what a crazy couple of days! So sorry I've kinda abandoned Blogland but I've been off having so much fun at Steph's along with Kate and Caryn, as well as meeting so many lovely fellow stampers at Steph's PTI Make and Take! Honestly, I feel truly blessed to have made such fabulous friends! I can't remember the last time I had so much fun! Not only the crafting, but the girly giggles and a trip to the flicks too! (BTW, New Moon is just about the most awesome film EVER! So fab to see a film with fellow Twi-hards, though I have to confess that I'm on Team EdCob - I'm the kinda gal who likes to have her cake and eat it LOL!)

I've also got some pics to share from our wonderful weekend, but haven't had the chance to inspect and take the pics of me out upload 'em yet! If you can't wait til then, take a peek at Steph's, Kate's or Caryn's pics - they're fabulous!

Now I did do some crafting last week, but that was for a PTI ATC swap so I can't share that with you yet, but I do have a card for our current challenge on APFP:

Recipe: Stamps - Holiday Tree/Signature Christmas Ink - Aqua Mist/Spring Moss/Dark Chocolate/Pure Poppy Card - Stamper's Select White/Aqua Mist/Pure Poppy/Rustic Snowflake DP Other - Nestabilities/Martha Stewart Border Punch/Pure Poppy Polka Dot Ribbon

This challenge is to feature a Christmas tree on your creations. Kate and I are hoping that some of you are bound to do this at some point in the next two weeks so participation in the challenge will be easy peasey lemon squeezy LOL!

Now the bow on this card is courtesy of Caryn who had the patience of a saint trying to teach me how to tie one! I just added to the difficulty by using single-sided polka dot ribbon LOL! Caryn, hope I've done you proud ;D

So we'd love it if you shared your creations with us over on APFP. Your creations needs only one PTI product on it to qualify and if you live within Europe, you could be the lucky winner of some PTI goodies :D

Right then, I'm off to catch up on everything I've missed in Blogland! Dunno when I'll get a chance to craft next as work is totally manic and I'm off to London this weekend! It's all go, go, go! When will it be craft, craft, craft I wonder...?

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Raspberry Suite #19!

Hey!

Well today I woke up without any sign that I'd been out til the early hours of this morning! Even though I felt like a dirty stop out, I felt kinda old too! I'm just not the young party animal I once was I guess! ;D

Today, I really wanted to tackle Dawn's Raspberry Suite Colour Challenge #19 and I'm pretty sure that today would have been the only time I'd get to play along! I plan to make some ATCs after work this week for our PTI Christmas ATC Swap as my deadline is the end of the week when I hope to give them in person to Dawn (I can't wait to meet you, Dawn!)

Anyways, back to the challenge! These colours certainly challenged me:
Oooh my brain was ticking overtime wondering what I was gonna be able to rustle up with those colours! Then I decided to take the actual picture of those gorgeous T-Shirts as my focus and not just the colours:I have to say that I kinda like the effect of that flourish! I simply started with some white cardstock and sponged on various inks in stripes. Then stamp my images in Versamark over the top, emboss with detail clear and brayer brown on top of it all! The brown ink resists the ink protected by the ep!
Hmm, still not sure about those buttons though! Something was 'missing' without them, but I'm not convinced it was these buttons LOL! Anyways, they're stuck firmly now so there's no way I'm risking taking them off!

Card Recipe
All PTI Unless Stated
Stamps: Fancy Flourishes, Friends 'til the End
Cardstock: Aqua Mist/Spring Moss Bitty Dot Basics/Stampers Select White
Ink: Spring Moss/Whispers Lovely Lilac/Raspberry Fizz/Aqua Mist/Dark Chocolate/Versamark
Accessories: Raspberry Fizz Polka Dot Ribbon (Reversed!)/Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Detail Clear EP/PTI Buttons Holiday Mix

So another weekend draws to a close, I hope you've had a fab one! I'm now off to cram in all those chores that crafting took priority over LOL!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Birthday Princess!

Hey!

I dunno if it's because the "holidays are coming" (sung in the coca-cola style song!) but I'm just up to my eyeballs with stuff to do! So I'll apologise in advance if I seem M.I.A around Blogland in the future!

As promised, I'm sharing the card I made for my niece, Cora's 6th birthday last Sunday! She had a wonderful birthday with lots of cake and presents! I find it kinda funny that she still takes a good couple of hours to get used to Chris, unsure if she likes him or not, but then by the time we're leaving she's being a cheeky monkey and sneaking up behind him and tapping him then hiding from him! Chris has always been around for family occasions since she was born, but I guess she just isn't keen on the idea of sharing her Aunty Amy! LOL!

Anyways onto the card:

Apologies for the poor pic! Would you believe I took my usual 10 odd photos for this card but now I've come to upload it, my camera only recognises one pic with the most awful lighting! Well I've tried my best to make this look as good as I can, if you focus on all the sparkles it might detract you from the poor pic as a whole LOL!

I know, another easel card! I just love 'em! I haven't any more hidden around so I'll probably be back to my usual card style now in case you're wondering!

The princess is an image stamped for me by my wonderful friend, Kate! I'd been saving this one especially for my niece as it totally reminded me of her - the little princess that she is! I also blinged up some Grungeboard for the number 6 - it sparkles so much more IRL! I just ran it through my Xyron and covered it in glitter which reminded me once again why I hate working with fine glitter - I swear I've still found it in places you wouldn't believe a week later! ;D

You can't see on the pic, but the ribbon slider tab thingy says "Today". I took a good close up pic of it but it's lost with the rest of my pics in a void somewhere!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Image swap from the lovely Kate
Card: PTI Sweet Blush/Aqua Mist/Craftwork Cards Winter Wonderland DP
Accessories: Nesties/Cuttlebug/Grungboard/Xyron/Fine Glitter/Cuttlebug Ribbon Slider Die/Ribbon from Stash/Promarkers/Gems/Stickles/Doodlebug Lily White Transfer Alphabet

I'm hitting the town tonight for a friend's birthday drinks, so I dunno what state I'll be in tomorrow to find the time to craft, cook, clean and iron! (notice my priority ordering there!) One thing's for sure though, looks like I'm gonna need my umbrella tonight!

Hope y'all have a fab Saturday night, whatever you're doing!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Super Sparkles!

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! Wish I could say it's happy weather here too, but that'd be one big lie! Soggy, windy and bloomin' freezing! Proper winter weather round these parts this week is not helping me get outta bed in the mornings LOL!

So how about something to brighten up those dark, dull days? How about some sparkle?

Yup, it's time for another challenge over on APFP! For this challenge we wanna see bling on your creations!

Here's my example:So how do you make a tree blingin'? Answer: smother it in Crystal Stickles and be VERY patient in waiting for it to dry!

I had so much fun christening my Holiday Tree and Signature Christmas stamps! I dunno if you can tell, but I went that extra mile in decorating my lil' tree. I stamped the row of stars from Around and About Sentiments across the tree to add some more detail. That is, if your eyes can see it through the dazzling sparkles ;DThe gems were originally clear, but I wanted them to stand out a little more and still match my card so I coloured them with a Promarker in Berry Red! I think it works a treat, so I'll be buying lots more clear gems in the future for coordinating bling LOL!

Recipe:

Stamps - Holiday Tree/Signature Christmas/Around and About Sentiments

Card - Stamper's Select White/Dark Chocolate/Pure Poppy/Rustic Snowflakes DP

Ink - Spring Rain/Spring Moss/Fresh Snow/Dark Chocolate

Others - Pure Poppy Polka Dot Ribbon/Spring Moss Button/Jute Button Twine/Stickles Crystal Glitter/Clear Gems Coloured with Promarkers/Nestability/Cuttlebug/White Gel Pen

Well as always, I'd love it if you could play along! Your creation has to feature just one PTI product to qualify and if you're within Europe, you could be the winner of some PTI goodies!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Happy Birthday, Cupcake!

Hey!

OK, slap my wrists, I'm a bad blogger! This week has been C.R.A.Z.Y! Super busy at work and super busy with family and stuff so I'm sorry the blog got a little abandoned this past week and I haven't had a chance to catch up with y'all round blogland yet! Oh and I came across a little book called Twilight this weekend, as recommended by Kate. I fear that I may not have time to craft anymore as I have a new obsession! Edward Cullen! OMG! I know a lot of you have already discovered it all, but I'm a newbie and in deep! So feel free to blame Kate for any lack of future posts from me ;D

Although I was busy, I did sneak in some crafty time as I needed to make a card for a bloggin' buddy's Birthday! My buddy shall remain anonymous (as requested!) but let me tell ya, I feel the pressure when making a card for a fellow crafter! Especially when they're so talented, I just pray they don't laugh at what I send and appreciate the gesture :0)

So thanks my lovely friend Kate, I had some cool images to play with. I didn't wanna go all PTI, I fancy a change every now and again. I particularly fancied colouring as it's something I love to do to relieve the stresses of the days and just be a kid again ;DSo a Bella image it was, and this image really suited the recipient in my opinion! This is the first easel card that I've made, and I have to say I love how simple they are to make and how fantastic they look! I've seen a lot of these around Blogland, they all look so different to your average card!

To add some scrummyness (Yes, I know that isn't a word!) I applied some glossy accents to the frosting on the cupcake. I have to confess, I was sooooo close to actually licking it LOL! IRL it looked delicious!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Stamping Bella Cuppacakeabella
Cardstock: PTI Sweet Blush/Aqua Mist Craftwork Cards Winter Wonderland
Accessories: Promarkers/Glossy Accents/Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/PTI Swiss Dot Ribbon/Stickles/Large Eyelet/Cropadile Big Bite

OK gotta dash, not only is it a bloggin' buddy's Birthday today, it's also my nieces! I'm off to celebrate her 6th birthday - gosh where do the years go eh? I'll share the card I made for her soon! No surprises that it's another easel style card with lots of girlyness and lots of glitter!

Hope you have a super duper Sunday, and the intended recipient of this card has a fabulous birthday and is spoilt rotten - you know who you are ;D

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Remember...

Hey,

Another weekend draws to a close...I haven't had much of a chance to get inky as on Saturday I went to Birmingham NEC to the Hobbycrafts Fair! I shopped 'til I'd spent up! I kid you not, I'd spent up by aisle 3 LOL!

Today's creation is for Remembrance Sunday. I always find Remembrance Sunday a very poignant time, stirring a mix of emotions. Truly grateful and thankful for the people who gave up their today for our tomorrow, whilst at the same time very sombre. I was especially sad at the fact that this year saw the first ceremony without a British World War One veteran . It's like a piece of history has disappeared...

So in order to promote Remembrance Sunday, I decided to use with my PTI Remember set today. I kept the colours very patriotic. I like this combo though I was very close to adding a splash of Ripe Avocado. But as you can tell, I was determined to stick to the colours of our flag. If I play with this colour combo again, I'll definitely add some Ripe Avocado though - it looked super!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Remember
Cardstock: Enchanted Evening, Stampers Select White, Pure Poppy Bitty Dot Basics
Ink: Memento
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Pure Poppy Button, White Ribbon Twine, White Ribbon (stash), Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Promarkers, White Gel Pen, Rounded Corner Punch

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope to back soon. That is, after I try to find space to fit the goodies I treated myself to on Saturday! Don't tell Chris, but I think we might need to move again for more space for this obsession hobby of mine! LOL!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Christmas Challenge...

Hey!

Happy Nearly-Wednesday! Nearly half way through the week already - woo hoo! Not that I like to wish time away, I just like the working week to go a little bit faster than the weekends ;D

You've probably seen this card I'm about to share with you on the PTI blog but I thought I'd post it here too anyways! Full deets are on the PTI Blog if you're interested.The current challenge is to get crafty for Christmas. I'll confess that this was a selfish idea of mine in order to get lots of inspiration to kick my mojo into gear for making some Christmas cards LOL!
Finally but by no means least, I've been awarded a Blog Award from the amazingly talented Vanessa! Please check out Vanessa's work if you haven't already - it's truly inspirational!It`s another award that`s connected with rules:
Pass this award on to five people, post on their blog to let them know you left this award, and then answer a list of questions in ONE word. Well I tried one word answers but if you know me, then you'll know that I tend to babble!

1. Where is your cell phone? Bag
2. Your hair? Ponytail
3. Your mother? Helpful
4. Your father? Laid-Back
5. Your favorite food? Macaroni Cheese, Mum Style!
6. Your dream last night? Random Workplace Scenario
7. Your favorite drink? Tea
8. Your dream/goal? Stamp/Craft design for a living
9. What room are you in? Open Living Room/Dining Room/Kitchen
10. Your hobby? Papercrafting
11. Your fear? Failure
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? I live for today! LOL!
13. Where were you last night? Gym
14. Something that you aren't? Organised!
15. Muffins? Blueberry!
16. Wish list item? PTI's Entire Stock
17. Where did you grow up? Derbyshire
18. Last thing you did? Attempt to cook for Chris and his friend LOL!
19. What are you wearing? Jeans (and a top of course ;D)
20. Your TV? On!
21. Your Pets? Passed :o(
22. Friends? A few...
23. Your life? Hectic!
24. Your mood? Giggly
25. Missing Someone? Always
26. vehicle? Micra
27. Something your not wearing? shoes
28. Your favorite store? Hollister
29. Your favorite color? Green
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today!
31. Last time you cried? Today with laughter!
32. Your best friend? Chris
33. One place that I go to over and over? Work LOL!
34. Facebook? Yes
35. Favorite place to eat? Italian!

Well I hope you learned a little something about me anyways! Now I'm gonna pass this on to Alex, Caryn, Dawn, Emma and Maureen. Now ladies, don't feel like you GOTTA post this and pass it on - I'm just appreciative of your wonderful work!

Right gotta dash! I need all the beauty sleep I can get LOL!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
x

Trick or Treat!

Hey!

Where has the week gone?!? I can't believe I gotta go back to work so soon - I've had a lovely week off and have managed to get a little crafting time squeezed in too! Well it'd be rude not to with Halloween approaching!

Now I don't really celebrate Halloween but I always like to give my nieces and nephews a little treat. So this year I came across some yummy chocolate treats whilst I was food shopping that were being sold in net bags. Now these bags didn't do the treats justice so I set on making a container for them. I searched the net high and low for a template but couldn't find anything that the treats would fit nicely in! So I took some measurements and designed a box of my own on the PC. I thought I was being slightly ambitious but it all went to plan! So I simply printed directly onto my cardstock, cut it out, decorated and stuck it all together!

Voila!

The box is a little like a popcorn box with a lid. It's kinda small but fits a nice amount of treats in! I went with an Orange Zest, True Black and Plum Pudding combo for the girls...... and a True Black, Orange Zest and White combo for the boys.I went a bit further and decorated inside each box too:
Well it's not much of a scare with that chocolate inside but it's as scary as I get!Now I'm sure the kids will appreciate the chocolate much more than the boxes but I had so much fun making them!

One tip: if I was making these again I'd print the template again on the Bitty Dot Basics paper in order to decorate these boxes easily! I tried to be frugal and trim around my printed template on scraps of paper and it was a real pain in the butt!

Box Recipe
Cardstock: Orange Zest, Stampers Select White, True Black, Bitty Dot Basics in True Black & Plum Pudding
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Halloween Die, Nestabilities, Orange Zest Polka Dot Ribbon, Orange Zest Button, White Button Twine, Velcro Dots, Promarkers, White Gel Pen Chocolate Treats!

Well I hope y'all have a Spooktacular Halloween! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
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CASING myself!

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! Man, is it Tuesday already?! Why do the days fly by when you got a week off work eh?!

Well so far I've taken my car to the garage, it got repaired while I waited which was a bonus as I didn't wanna be car-less this week because we've got a couple of bus strikes here in Sheffield! Guess it's not only Royal Mail who are fancying a strike! Anyways the reason I tell you this is because to my shock - my car got repaired for FREE! Yup - FREE! So what's a gal to spend those pennies on I was setting aside for the car....hmmm.....think it may have to be a treat for me!

I've manged to get a little inky and create a card for the current Raspberry Suite Color Challenge - you can hurry an entry in as it ends tomorrow! These are the colours which I have to say I LOVED working with:Now I loved the layout of my anniversary card so much that I decided to CASE myself for this challenge! There's a few alterations but the main layout is still there...I seem to have an obsessive personality - at the mo my obsession is this layout and zig zag scissors!I hope you like it! I think I went a little crazy with my Distress Inks but I fancied trying something a little more rustic/vintage with the modern twist of the colours. Dunno if it works but it's staying as it's stuck down now! LOL!

I have some polka dot Raspberry Fizz ribbon that I was itching to use but those darn polka dots were too bold for this creation. Seeing as this is the only Raspberry Fizz ribbon I own, I reversed it and applied a strip of Dark Chocolate Twill on top - I kinda like the effect! Also great for a poor gal like me who can't own EVERY type of ribbon in EVERY colour!If you're reading this Maureen - this is the card that I had a dilemma picking buttons for LOL! I stuck with two - was gonna be three but the time I spent picking just two got beyond ridiculous! ;D
When I was stamping the flower - I decided to stamp two to show you the difference between just stamping on Raspberry Fizz Cardstock and adding detail with a Versamark Pen:
I hope you can tell that the one on the right is the flower with the added shading with the Versamark Pen! Can you also tell my fingers got to bored cutting out the plain flower? LOL! I'll trim that flower later and add the same shading for another project...

Card Recipe
Stamps: Friends 'til the End/Fancy Flourishes
Inks: Vintage Cream/Dark Chocolate/New Leaf/Raspberry Fizz/Distress Inks Antique Linen & Vintage Photo
Card: New Leaf/Dark Chocolate Bitty Box Basics/Kraft/Raspberry Fizz/Vintage Cream
Accessories: Raspberry Fizz Polka Dot Ribbon (Reversed)/Dark Chocolate Twill/Vintage Buttons Cream & Dark Chocolate/White Button Twine/Versamark Pen

Now I gotta get started on some Halloween treats for my nieces and nephews! I have a template designed - just gotta print it out and get busy! But not before getting my haircut this afternoon - I fancy going drastic but I know I'll chicken out by the time I get there!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!
Aimes
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