Paddington

This was made with the latest free stamp from 'Quick Cards Made easy'. I didn't see to have any suitable embellishments so I fell back on a favourite technique of using my carefully-hoarded bits of paper to make a background. This looks interesting, without detracting from the image itself.

Santa's coming

Another Christmas card, this time using some new stamps which I've been sent by Kirsten Lapping Designs. I was asked to make up some samples, of which this is one. The stamps are just about to be launched and once I have more details I'll post them. I used various colours of marker on the big Santa image, and matted it onto card covered with patterned papers. There's some 'snow' (actually tint glitter stars) from the same company, stuck around the chimney pot with PVA. The greeting is part of yet another stamp from Kirsten Lapping Designs and I added some ribbon as a finishing touch. I liked this image as I thought it was such a fun, cheery one for Christmas, especially to send to children.

Christmas card

This was made using some free papers from one of the cardmaking magazines and a tiny tree cut using a template from Cranberry Cards - I'd won a set of them in a competition. I always like to add a bit of sparkle to my cards so there's a little heart bead stitched to the top of the tree. The background is made up using oddments of paper and the foam snowman and snowflake came from a poundshop kit. I need about 200 cards for Christmas each year so I'll be churning them out from now on!

Surf's Up

This card was made for the 'Simply Cards and Papercraft' competition in issue 46, which wanted a colourful card for teenagers. As soon as I saw the stamp I thought it would be perfect, and I've just heard it was picked as one of the winners! The sandals were embellished with Kuretake flower brads and gems - I just love adding some sparkle to my cards.

'Cardmaking and Papercraft'

These are some of the cards I made for the latest issues of 'Cardmaking and Papercraft' due out this week. I was asked to make 5 cards on the theme of good luck and congratulations, so I chose some digital images from http://www.pinkpetticoat.com/, with lavish use of glitter and ribbon. The flying pig is a bit tongue in cheek! I really enjoyed making them as I love bright colours, although I don't think they've photographed as well in the magazine.

Christmas card - and tag!

This is another Christmas card I made, mainly to use up what I already had (stamped image and text, textured card, printed paper). I covered the front of the card in glue, stuck the stamped card down across the centre, and cut the other bits to fit. It looked a bit bland orginally, but it has ended up being one of my recent favourites because I 'm so pleased with the way the thin lines of brown card tie it all together. Definitely a layout I'll use again.

I've just been tagged on another blog (http://artypartyni.blogspot.com/2008/06/ive-been-tagged.html - I haven't worked out how to do links yet!) and been asked some questions:

WHAT WAS HAPPENING 10 YEARS AGO? - I was probably doing a lot of sneezing! the hay fever season is in full swing and although I don't suffer so much nowadays I had a dreadful time when I was younger.

NAME 5 THINGS TO DO TODAY:Eat breakfast, morning snack, lunch, dinner and supper. That pretty much covers every day, actually...

SNACKS I ENJOY: Ooh, hard one - pretty much anything sweet or savoury. Maybe crisps - or chocolate - or something with nuts? ... do I have to make my mind up now?

THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE: I'd try not to let it spoil me (but I'd be open to the experience...)

PLACES I HAVE LIVED: Actually, some people have been known to opine that I live in a world of my own.

I'm supposed to pass this on to five other people but I've no idea how to do that! - I'm amazed I even managed to put a link to Kath's blog in. There should have been a question on WHAT IS THE NEXT THING YOU ARE GOING TO DO? as that would mean I could put 'learn to work more features of this wee blog of mine'! So I will try to work out how to tag even one other person, and I will feel a great sense of fulfilment!