I have a new home...

Hi All

It's been a while since I posted on here but that's because I have a beautiful shiny new blog called Being Scrappy. Pop on over and have a look: www.beingscrappy.blogspot.co.uk

Hope to see you there xx 

Niki xx

Ruby Wedding

Hi All

Well it's my last week on the Design Team for Simply Stampin' Challenge - I'm off to pastures new (watch this space!!)

We had a fantastic sketch to follow this week:

and I had a commission from my Dad to make a Ruby Wedding card for my mum!

Here's what I came up with:

I embossed the white heart and then rubbed some Riding Hood Red ink over the top to make the embossed pattern stand out.

The background started off as Very Vanilla card and I built up the colour using an ink blending tool and various inks and stamps.

Recipe:

Stamps: En Francais, Medallion 

Inks: Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Early Espresso

Card: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Whisper White

DSP: Love Letters (retired), Bridesmaid specialty (retired)

Punches: Eyelet Border punch, Heart

Red Brads

Black ribbon

Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder

and I printed the sentiment on my PC!

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by - I might not be around for a while but like I said at the top, watch this space!!

Niki xx

Perfect Pairs

Hi All

We have an absolutely fab challenge for you this week at Simply Stampin' Challenge - it is 

'Perfect Pairs'

which means you have to use two of something on your creations this week

I took inspiration from the pairs/memory game I used to play as a kiddie - you know, the one where you have two if each card and you have to pick up the same two in succession ?

Here's my card:

Recipe:

Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes, Baroque Motifs

Card: Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Whisper White

Ink: Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party

Other: Basic Rhinestones

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Colour Challenge

Hi Everyone

We have a fab colour combo challenge for you this week over at Simply Stampin Challenge:

Now I really really loved this combo - such classy colours

Here is my Design Team entry:

I really love the Everything Eleanor stamp set and put it to good use here, I think I used nearly all the stamps!

Recipe:

Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Sincere Salutations

Card: Pink Pirouette, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla

Ink: Pink Pirouette, Soft Suede

DSP: Beau Chateau

Punches: Scallop Ribbon Lace Border

Ribbon: Soft Suede, Lace

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Simply Stampin' - Sketch

I don't know about you but I absolutely love a good sketch! Here is this week's sketch over at Simply Stampin' Challenge:

and here is my Design Team entry:

I needed a simple male card for a stamp-a-stack class I was running and this card was perfect!

Recipe:
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, From the Heart
Card: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Sponge dauber

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Easter

Hello and Happy Easter to all!

Surprise Surprise we have an Easter themed challenge for you this week over at Simply Stampin Challenge and here is my DT entry:

I went to make this card and realised I don't actually have any Easter stamps - disaster! So I figured I could probably make some easter egg looking things using an oval punch and reached for an old favourite - Flight of the Butterfly!

Recipe:

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card: Wisteria Wonder, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Daffodil Delight
DSP: From the Garden
Ribbon: Pretty in Pink, Daffodil Delight, Certainly Celery
Brad: Pretty in Pink
Punches: Word Window, Oval, Eyelet Border

Hope you like my makeshift Easter card and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Colour Combo

Hi Everyone

We have a fantastic colour combo for you this week over at Simply Stampin' Challenge :

and here is my DT entry:

I used the lovely DSP 'Beyond the Garden' for this card and go out one of my favourite stamp sets 'Just Believe' which has been neglected a bit recently :o(

Recipe:
Stamps: Just Believe
Card: Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Tangerine Tango, Whisper white
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Tangerine Tange, Daffodil Delight
Ribbo: Daffodil Delight
Punches: Scallop Edge

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Sketch Week - Cupcakes!

Hi Everyone

It's sketch week this week over at Simply Stampin' Challenge and here is the sketch we had to follow:

and here is my DT entry...

I needed a card/present for my lovely hubby and I know the way to his heart is chocolate so I thought I'd combine the two and this is what I came up with!

Recipe:

Stamps: En Francais,Medallion
Card: Real Red, Chocolate chip,Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip
Punches: Heart, mini Heart, Scallop Trim Border, Circle
Ribbon: Real Red
Cupcakes: M&S!!

Thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Totally Tags

Hi All

We have a great theme for you this week over at Simply Stampin' Challenge:

Totally Tags

Which means we need to see Tags on your creations this week. Here is what I came up with for my DT entry:

Recipe:
Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes, Heard fro the Heart, Confetti
Card: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Perfect Plum, Crumb Cake
Punches: Circle, Small Tag & Large Tag, hole punch
Ink: Perfect Plum, Melon Mambo
Ribbon: Perfect Plum

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Colour Combo

Hi Everyone

I really love colour challenges, I sometimes agonise over choosing colours but having set colours solves that problem and I (usually) make the colour combo work for me, however random!

I don't think this one's random though from the Simply Stampin' Challenge:

I think this one works really well. Here is my DT entry:

Recipe:
Stamps: Faith in Nature, Sincere Salutations, Medallion, En Francais
Card: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze
Ink: Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Chocolate Chip
Punches: Oval & Scallop Oval, ScallopBorder
DSP: Tickets & Tags Simply Scrappin' Kit
Ribbon: Poppy Parade
Other: Border Sticker from Tickets & Tags Simply Scrappin' kit, Basic Pearls

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Graduation

Hi Everyone

Ben totally threw me when he said, 'can you make my sister a graduation card please' I had absolutely no idea what to do for it given I didn't have any graduation type stamps to hand, so I began thinking about using punch art to make a graduation hat (I know they have a special name but that escapes me right now...!) and then had a brainwave: the owl punch (wise owl and all that) wearing a graduation hat!

I had a look on google to see if anyone else had done this (and how they'd done it...!) and there was of course plenty of them out there, so I took inspiration for the hat and the scroll but came up with the gown all by myself!

I followed the sketch for this week's Simply Stampin' Challenge:


and here is what I came up with for my DT entry:

I spent about an hour putting the own together and had just finished him (and was very pleased with myself) when Ben came in to my craft room - I showed him the owl but his response was, 'well have you make a card yet or what?'

I was very cross.

So apart from Ben's initial reaction I was very pleased with the way the owl turned out and Naomi (Ben's sister) said it was the best graduation card she had received, so all in all, a very successful graduation card!

Recipe:
Stamps: Tiny Tags & Swirls & Curls Verses
Card: Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake
DSP: Tickets & Tags Simply Scrappin' Kit
Ribbon: Riding Hood Red, Linen Thread
Punches: Owl Punch, Scallop Trim border

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

In Love with Lace

This week's theme over at Simply Stampin' Challenge is to use lace on your cards - what a fab challenge!

There are so many ways to use lace - actual lace or lacy punches, both of which I love! Here is my Design Team offering:

I thought I'd better get organised and make a Mothers' Day card given that it's Mothers' Day whilst we're away on holiday (with my mum) so I need to take it with me...!

Recipe:
Stamps: Greenhouse Garden, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card: Very Vanilla, Lucky Limeade
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Rose Red
DSP: Pink Pirouette
Punches: Lace Border, Bird punch, Modern Label
Ribbon: Lace
Other: Basic Pearls

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Colour Combo

What a fab colour combo we have for you this week over at Simply Stampin', I love pinks and purples so this was perfect for me!

Now I know this colour combo screams doilies because of the DSP but I wanted to do something other than doilies as I've done so many recently I'm actually a little bored of them!

So here is what I came up with...

I know I didn't avoid the doilies completely - I think they make a great background!

Recipe:
Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card: Wisteria Wonder, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
DSP: Flirtatious Specialty
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette
Ribbon: Wisteria Wonder
Punches: Scallop Border, Decorative Label, Circle

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Sketch Challenge

Hi Everyone

It's Sketch week over at Simply Stampin and here is what we came up with for you:

A really great sketch and here is my DT entry:

Now I wanted to use soft subtle colours but for some reason I had a strange desire to use Concord Crush, not exactly soft or subtle! I think Pink Pirouette is probably a bit light for this colour combo but hey ho, I think it turned out ok (ish)

Recipe:
Stamps: Precious Butterflies, Teeny Tiny Wishes
DSP: Concord Crush
Card: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade
Ink: Concord Crush, Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette
Punches: Circles, Eyelet Border
Ribbon: Lucky Limeade

I love this stamp set - a new one for me and I think it's going to be another favourite!

Thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Heartfelt

Well it's that time of year again when those lovely hearts make an appearance and here is my Valentine's offering and my DT entry for this week's Simply Stampin' Challenge:

I actually used this card for a workshop I did last week and the hostess wanted Valentines but in Rich Razzleberry rather than the usual reds and she didn't want it too lovey dovey, which I think I achieved!

Recipe:
Stamps: Perfect Postage, Borderlines, Confetti, En Francais, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card: Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla
Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette
Punches: Heart to Heart, Postage Stamp, Word Window, Modern Label, Eyelet border
Ribbon: Very Vanilla

Hope you like it and I hope my Husband does!

Thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Male Colour Combo

Hi All

I don't know about you but always seem to have a shortage of male cards to send so when I saw this colour combo over at Simply Stampin' it seemed perfect for a male card...

and here is what I came up with for my DT entry:

Quite a simple card but I was happy with the way it turned out. I struggled to get any Not Quite Navy in but I just about managed it with some DSP and the feature under the main image...

Recipe:
Stamps: French Foliage, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Inks: Early Espresso, River Rock
Card: Not Quite Navy, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, River Rock
DSP: Well Worn
Punches: Scallop Lace Border, Word Window, Modern Label, Decorative Label

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

Sketch challenge

Hi Everyone

We have another sketch for you this week over at Simply Stampin':

I wasn't sure about this sketch but I enjoyed it in the end, even though getting the squares even was a bit frustrating!

Recipe:

Stamps: Paisley Petals, Four Frames
Card: Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade
Punches: Boho Blossoms, Scallop Edge, Decorative Label
Basic Pearls

Thanks for stopping by

Niki xx

To DIE for!

Hi Everyone

We have a great challenge for you this week over at Simply Stampin' Challenge, it is:

To DIE for!

Which means you need to use a die on your card, in case that wasn't obvious!

Here is what I came up with for my DT entry:

I am in love with the embosslits dies as I think the embossing mixed with die cut shapes is just fab! I've used the Flower Burst here as well as the Beautiful Wings too. I also used the Top Note die as part of the background.

Recipe:
Stamps: French Filigree, Confetti, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Four Frames
Card: Wisteria Wonder, Certainly Celery, Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery
Punches: Decorative Label, Eyelet Border
Ribbon: Elegant Eggplant
Dies: Flower Burst, Beautiful Wings, Top Note

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by

Niki xxx

Everything Eleanor, so pretty!

Hi Everyone

We have a gorgeous colour combo for you this week over at Simply Stampin' Challenge:

I think these colours are really gorgeous together and love the Simply Scrappin' kit you can get in these colours. I was tempted to use it but in the end reached for my new favourite stamp set: Everything Eleanor...

I love the variety of stamps in this set and that you can make so many lovely backgrounds with them...

Recipe:

Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Happiest Birthday Wishes
Card: Pink Pirouette, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party and Whisper White
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Lucky Limeade, Staz On
Punches: Eyelet Border
Ribbon: Pool Party

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by xxx

Niki xx